Dr. Andres Contreras Bravo of Michigan State University's College of Veterinary Medicine offers an overview of efforts to educate dairy farm employees in strategies and tactics to reduce mastitis and therefore reduce antibiotic use. The session was presented at the 25th Anniversary of MSU's Julian Samora Research Institute. The MSU College of Veterinary Science is a member of the Quality Milk Alliance, funded by USDA.

1. An On-farm Education
Program for Dairy Farm
Employees
G. Andres Contreras DVM MS PhD
Department of Large Animal Clinical Sciences
Michigan State University

2. Mastitis
• Most costly infectious disease
of dairy cattle
• Associated with antimicrobial
use and drug residues in meat
and milk
• Reduces productivity per cow,
milk shelf-life, and yield of milk
products such as cheese

3. Mastitis Prevention
Programs
Essential for:
• Food safety and
quality of dairy
products
• Animal health and
wellbeing
• Economic success
of producers

4. Jeff Watts, Pfizer

5. Herd Size
US Dairy Industry Diversity
• Small
• Medium
• Large
Housing
• Geographical
location
• Free stall
• Tie Stall
• Grazing
• Conventional
• Organic
Labor
• Family
• Religious
believes
• Hired
workforce
• Latinos

6. Mastitis Prevention Programs
One size does not fit all
 Too broad for diversity of US dairy industry
 Don’t identify management priorities for individual
farms
 Don’t evaluate outcomes
 Lack effective communication between producers and
hired labor

7. Quality Milk Alliance
An Integrated Extension and
Education Program to Reduce
Mastitis and Antimicrobial Use
• Develop and evaluate a farm
evaluation and monitoring
program (Quality Milk Alliance;
QMA) as a tool to reduce
mastitis and antibiotic use on
dairy farms

8. 5 Key components of the QMA

9. Farm Management Culture
Intervention based on:
• A survey sent to
• 752 dairy herds in Michigan
• 820 herds in Pennsylvania
• 128 herds in Florida
• 628 responses (41%)
• Focus groups with dairy owners, managers,
and employees

10. 5 Key components of the QMA

11. Reported Mastitis Management Practices
n = 628 herds - relationship with mastitis
Standardized
coefficient - β
P
≥ 600 cows (large dairies) 0.161 0.035
Presence of non-family
1.048 0.000
employees
Employees play an important
role in mastitis problems
- 0.124 0.008
Train employees in mastitis
protocols
-0.074 0.051

12. Technical Knowledge
Training
 Diverse
 “On-the-job” training by co-workers.
 Formal “milker training schools” for employees to
learn proper milking procedures and protocols.
 Workers usually “learned” what to do through work
experiences.
 Latino workers expressed interest in and a
need for more education and job training.
Sources of
Information
 Co-workers with more experience
 Pharmaceutical sales representatives
 Veterinarians
 Latino workers knew that cows with mastitis
symptoms needed a “treatment” or “the liquid”
but were unsure what the drug was or why they
were using it
Focus Groups

14. Who Usually Trains New Milkers?
(employee responses)
Anglo
%
Latino
%
Mangers/Owners 42 13
Other Milkers 51 81
Learn “on the Job” 7 6
TOTAL 100 100

15. Dairy Employee Education
 Milk quality teams: owners, managers,
employees and veterinarians
 Mastitis prevention and milk quality protocols
 What, when, how, and why?
 Improve technical knowledge of mastitis
 Promote on farm training by veterinarians

16. The Cultural Lag of Dairy Extension

17. Milk Quality Team… Who is missing?
Gran jefe pluma blanca
= Big chief with the white feather

18. Who is the Science Teacher for the “on-farm” class
room?

19. Teachers Education Material
Quality Milk Corner
La Esquina de la Calidad de Leche

20. Dairy Employee Education
“Veterinary Classroom”

21. • Engage All Farm Personnel into Quality Milk Program
• Management Practices
• Drug Therapy
• Communication and Education
• Help dairy producers become “better coaches” for
employees
• Help veterinarians/professionals become on-farm
science teachers
http://qualitymilkalliance.com/

22. Acknowledgements
Competitive Grant no. 2013-68004-20439
Becky Schewe
Jean Kayitsinga,
Ruben Martinez
Phil Durst
Stan Moore
Ernest Hovingh
Ray Mobley
Lorraine Sordillo
Ronald Erskine
William Escalante
Marizel Davila
Figueroa
Employees
Managers
Owners