July 2025
Your dairy’s total profitability and cow comfort hinge on proper udder health management for several reasons. Proper udder care can lower your herd’s risk of contracting mastitis, one of the most expensive health issues in the dairy business. You know that cow comfort is directly tied to a cow’s milk production and quality, which can be severely impacted by mastitis.
You might be asking, “What are the results of proper udder care?” The answer is that it can lead to better milk quality and increased milk production, which can mean more money in your pocket when your milk cheque arrives. To avoid putting yourself at risk for decreased milk production and poor quality, it is crucial to regulate udder health.
To help you understand why you should have a proper udder care protocol, here are nine reasons that improper care is impacting your operation and bottom line.
- Milk Quality: The production of high-quality milk depends on maintaining udder health. Udder infections can lead to bacterial contamination, increased cases of mastitis, and elevated somatic cell counts (SCC), all of which affect the quality and supply of milk.
- Cow Comfort: A dairy cow’s health is influenced by the health of their udders. Animals may experience pain, discomfort, and stress due to udder infections. Appropriate udder care protocols positively impact cow comfort and support ethical farming practices, meaning a happy cow comfortable in her environment is more likely to perform better.
- Disease Prevention: Mastitis, a common and costly udder infection, can be prevented and controlled with the help of effective udder care management. Disease prevention lowers the need for antibiotics and other treatments, which increase a dairy’s expenses. A focus on udder health promotes the ethical and sustainable agricultural practices that consumers and processors are demanding.
- Increased Milk Production Efficiency: Heathy udders produce more. The profitability of a dairy operation depends on consistent, high-quality milk production.
- Cost Savings: Because treating and correcting udder infections often requires veterinarian care and medication, producers will experience additional costs for treatment and loss of profit through reduced milk production. Dairy producers can reduce these expenses and increase their earnings by proactively managing udder health.
- Longevity and Reproduction: The lifetime and reproductive performance of dairy cows can be influenced by udder health. A cow’s productive life can be increased by a healthy udder, which can lower the demand for replacement animals and the expenses involved in raising heifers.
- Compliance with Regulations: Regulations pertaining to animal welfare and milk quality exist in many countries across the globe — a movement that is expected to grow. In order to fulfill these standards and prevent discounts in your milk cheque, a proper udder health protocol on your dairy is crucial.
- Reputation and Consumer Trust: The expectation for dairy products is that they are high-quality and safe. Long-term success depends on the dairy operation maintaining a good reputation and the trust of customers, which is ensured by managing udder care properly.
- Sustainability: The importance of sustainable farming practices is growing. Dairy producers can contribute to a more sustainable agricultural system by lowering their environmental impact, cutting expenses, and using less antibiotics, all which can be the result of proper udder care.
But you don’t have to just take our word for it. Bruce James shares why udder health has become a top priority on Kalundu Dairy
Bruce James, Manager at Kalundu Dairy, Zambia, shares with Nico Pretorius, ABS South Africa genetic consultant, about their success story using Valiant products from ABS South Africa.
“We have been using Valiant pre and post-dipping solutions on our herd for the past few years. Teat condition is excellent and it’s certainly a big contributor to our Somatic Cell Count (SCC) never going over 150 000 on 1800 milk cows with zero staph infections. Great products and great service.”
Monitor Udder Health with Data
In many ways, dairy producers may increase productivity and efficiency while cutting costs by implementing data-driven management strategies. Dairy producers can more efficiently monitor udder health today thanks to technology advancements and data collection tools. By collecting and analyzing data on udder health, dairy producers can make informed decisions and continuously improve their management practices.
People, Products, Results: It’s the ABS Difference
Every day when our ABS team wakes up, they think of ways to help their customers with milk production and quality. It’s their number one priority. That’s why we offer Valiant which are industry-leading products that ensure superior teat and udder health. We are aware that you work hard every day to maximize milk output and improve milk quality, and that the products you use have an effect on your herd’s udder health and bottom line. As a result, our team does not work solely to offer you products. We genuinely want to learn more about your dairy, address any problems on farm, and boost your profitability by improving the production and quality of your milk.
Milk quality, animal welfare, illness prevention, cost savings, longevity, and sustainability are why it is critical to manage udder health and why it should be top of mind to ensure a sustainable, productive, and profitable dairy operation.