Five, 10 or 7, no matter how many points there are to a Mastitis Control Plan "Good record keeping" should be a part of it. Who better to ask how the udder health management program on a dairy is working than the cows? "Good" clinical mastitis (CM) records allow an objective assessment, based on the cow's experience, of the effectiveness of udder health management on a dairy. Few would argue the value of "Good" CM records to udder health management. However, to make the "Cows the Consultants" efficient, timely summary and analysis of CM records is necessary. Given that on farm records systems are largely defined by the user, it is critical that those wanting to evaluate CM records on a population level take the time to develop protocols to ensure accurate and consistent recording of data that is "computer friendly." Unfortunately, even when dairies have "Good" CM records it can be challenging to calculate and routinely monitor the commonly recommended Key Performance Indicators (KPI) of udder health. To address that need, as part of a USDA funded project, we developed HEALTHSUM~R to facilitate the efficient, routine summary, integration and analysis of on farm records. The purpose of this paper is to discuss considerations for keeping and using "Good" CM records.
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