When Environmental Mastitis Strikes, Focus on Pathogens in Bedding

Managing manure can pose a significant challenge on a dairy. While the nutrients in manure make it a valuable resource, the process of collecting, storing and disposing of manure is an enterprise of its own.

Over the past several years many dairy producers have invested in equipment that separates water from manure solids, leaving a somewhat dry product that can be used for bedding.

While the process is sustainable and economical, manure is known to include a number of harmful pathogens that can cause mastitis. Even when a significant amount of water is removed, pathogens still remain in the solids. Many producers put these solids back into the beds immediately. Others will dry or compost their solids to further reduce pathogen loads. Regardless of how manure solids are managed, pathogen levels increase significantly as soon as cows start using the bedding.

Recently, Arm & Hammer introduced a new product designed to control pathogen outgrowth in recycled manure solids to help reduce the risk of mastitis associated with this bedding type. When the Bacillus-based bedding additive was tested on-farm, there was a significant reduction in bulk tank somatic cell count (SCC) and monthly mastitis cases.

Two Causes of Mastitis

Mastitis can be caused by either contagious or environmental pathogens. While contagious pathogens can be spread from cow to cow, environmental pathogens are present throughout a cow’s surroundings, especially in recycled manure bedding. Cows lay down for 10 to 12 hours each day, allowing bacteria ample time to contact the ends of the teats where they can then colonize the teat canal and cause a mastitis infection.

The Arm & Hammer Animal and Food Production team collected more than 1,100 bedding samples from dairies across the U.S. This research helped characterize mastitis-causing pathogens in dairy bedding and develop a strategy to control the outgrowth of these organisms in the stall. Samples were collected from unused piles and from the stall near the location of the udder. All types of bedding were sampled, including:

• Green recycled manure solids
• Solids from anaerobic digesters
• Composted manure solids
• Sand
• Other sources, including straw, sawdust, wood shavings and corn stalks

This initial survey sought to characterize and quantify target pathogens, including E.coli and total coliforms, organisms in the Klebsiella group, as well as those in the Group D streptococci group.

Results Led to Bacillus Product

Once the pathogens were identified a product was created to help control the presence of these pathogens in recycled manure bedding. The resulting product included the best-performing Bacillus strains for controlling environmental pathogens found in recycled manure bedding. Field trial results demonstrated a reduction in E. coli, coliforms, Klebsiella and group D streptococci counts in bedding between the pre-treatment and treatment periods. A reduction in bulk tank SCC counts and less monthly clinical mastitis events were also observed.

Several farms across the country have experience using the product. Columbia Ridge Dairy in South Dakota has used the product for several months, applying it to recycled manure as it leaves the screw press. As a long-time user of recycled manure bedding, farm manager Tim Timmons understood the impact that a reduction in mastitis-causing organisms in the bedding could have on cow health and well-being. Since using the product, Timmons says the biggest impact has been on cases of clinical environmental mastitis.

“We especially saw a difference when we went on and off the product,” Timmons says. “We see very few clinical cases of environmental mastitis anymore.”

It Takes a Team

As more dairies across the U.S. use this product, we’ve learned a few keys to controlling environmental mastitis:

• Pathogen control in recycled manure bedding takes a multifaceted approach. Different management areas must work together to impact the udder’s overall exposure to pathogens. This includes:
  • Keeping alleys clean so manure doesn’t splash into the bedding area or up onto the udder when cows are walking.
  • Stall grooming on a regular basis to remove manure or urine.
  • Parlor sanitation and cleaning is key. We can do our best to keep stalls and barns clean, but if milking equipment is dirty those efforts will not be effective. Good parlor protocols need to be followed to prevent environmental and contagious pathogens from entering the teat end during the milking process.

• Data collection and analysis helps understand the cause of mastitis and effectiveness of control measures. As with any mastitis prevention program, prevention includes understanding as much as possible about the overall mastitis challenge on the dairy. While bulk tank SCC is one indicator, numbers can be skewed by a small group of cows with extremely high SCC counts, preventing you from getting the real picture.
• Understand your risk. Culture mastitis cases to understand the type of pathogens causing the issue. If most of the mastitis-causing pathogens are contagious, and not environmental, protocols need to be put in place to control those specific pathogens. It’s likely, however, that if recycled manure is used as bedding that environmental pathogens are a challenge.

Using recycled manure solids as dairy bedding is an economical and environmentally-friendly practice. It becomes an even more viable option for producers when mastitis-causing pathogens in bedding can be safely and effectively controlled, thus reducing their negative impact on the health, well-being and productivity of the cow.

For more information on controlling pathogens in recycled manure bedding, visit ahfoodchain.com