1. RESEARCH REPORT / GRADUATION ASSIGNMENT:
MILKRITE IMPULSE AIR IN PRACTICE
AUTHOR: GIJS HAMPSINK​/ TEL: +31 (0) 648 461 706
MILKRITE
IN PRACTICE
Careless and large-scale use of antibiotics in dairy
farming increases the risk of bacteria becoming
resistant and thereby creates a risk to public health.
Poor udder health is a major detrimental effect in
this respect. Milking with Milkrite’s Impulse Air is
intended to improve the udder health of cows. This
is all very well in theory, but what do we learn from
actual practice?
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RESULTS
Teat condition improved greatly
(52.3% had better teat condition,
43.5% remained the same) within
two months!
The tank somatic cell count fell
by 12,060 cells per ml in three
months, which yielded a financial
benefit of €7.20 per cow per annum
(financial benefit determined from
studying literature).
According to the research,
the number of cases of clinical
mastitis fell by 4.8% per quarter
after the farms had changed
over to Impulse Air. This yielded
a financial benefit of €44.00 per
cow per annum (financial benefit
determined from studying literature).
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What effect does
Impulse Air have on the
udder health of cows?
The research was divided into two parts:
The first part covered the tank somatic cell count
and the number of cases of mastitis, and was carried
out at 32 farms (average number of cows 175). The
research was carried out at farm level, on the basis of
historical data during the three months before and after
changing over to Impulse Air.
In the second part, the teat condition of the cows at
six farms (579 cows in total) was examined. The quality
of the teats was examined in the week of the changeover
to Impulse Air and two months after the changeover.

2. Tank somatic cell count falls by
12,060 cells per ml
Mastitis cases fall
by 4.8% per quarter
To clearly illustrate the effect of Impulse Air on the tank
somatic cell count, the difference between the average
tank somatic cell count in the Netherlands and that at
the farms that participated in the research is shown in a
histogram (see the figure on the right). The results have been
corrected for seasonal effects. It can be seen in the diagram
that the difference remained reasonably constant in the
period before the farmers used Impulse Air. Impulse Air
was installed between weeks 12 and 14, after which the
difference immediately became twice as great (the difference
from the average tank somatic cell count in the Netherlands
in week 12 was -6,940, and in week 14 it was -13.970).
The longer Impulse Air was used during milking, the greater
the difference from the average tank somatic cell count in
the Netherlands became.
Of the 32 participating farms, 20 were suitable for participating
in the clinical mastitis survey (these farms kept details of their
cases of clinical mastitis). The reduction in the number of cases
of clinical mastitis was huge. Before farmers started using
Impulse Air for milking, 8.2% of cows had clinical mastitis in the
three months before the changeover. This fell to 3.4% in the
three months after the changeover. This was a reduction of 4.8%,
resulting in a financial benefit of 11 euros per cow per quarter
(financial benefit determined from studying literature).
Difference between the average tank somatic cell
count in the Netherlands and that at the farms
participating in the research. (Average difference
in somatic cell count x 1000)
Percentage of mastitis cases before and
after changing over to Impulse Air
Teat condition improved
The liner has the greatest effect on teat condition because it is in direct contact. The teat condition of
579 cows on six farms was assessed twice. When these cows were milked using Impulse Air, the teat
condition of 4.2% of them worsened, 52.3% had improved teat condition, and the teat condition of
43.5% remained the same.
Kruistabel met daarin de speenconditie weergegeven.
TEAT CONDITION BEFORE
Smooth teat orifice Thin callus ring Thick callus ring Rough teat orifice
Count Count Count Count
TEAT CONDITION AFTER Smooth teat orifice 85 168 35 2
Thin callus ring 22 157 88 8
Thick callus ring 1 2 9 2
Rough teat orifice 0 0 0 0
Changeover to Milkrite Impulse Air
Without Milkrite Impulse Air With Milkrite Impulse Air
Weeks
Averagedifferenceinsomaticcellcount
Mastitis percentage afterMastitis percentage before
Error Bars: 95% CI
Averagepercentageofmastitis
For more information, please contact Milkrite under
+44 (0) 870 731 5010 or via email: sales@milkrite.com