Calf milk pasteurization
In the ongoing quest for improved biosecurity and maximum dairy herd health, it stands to reason that pasteurizing calf milk would be a worthwhile and beneficial management practice. Yet in reality, conservative industry estimates indicate that far fewer than half of all dairies currently perform any type of heat treatment on waste milk fed to calves. Is calf milk pasteurization effective? Does it address current disease and biosecurity concerns on the average dairy? And if so, what role can dairy practitioners play in promoting its adoption?
Economics of feeding pasteurized colostrum and pasteurized waste milk to dairy calves.
OBJECTIVE
To estimate the marginal contribution of pasteurization of waste milk and colostrum to gross margin per calf at weaning and to estimate the minimum number of cattle on a dairy farm for pasteurization to be profitable.


DESIGN
Randomized, controlled, clinical trial.


ANIMALS
300 Holstein calves.


PROCEDURE
The performance of calves fed pasteurized colostrum and waste milk was compared with the performance of calves fed nonpasteurized colostrum and waste milk. Costs, revenues, and gross margins for the 2 groups were compared.


RESULTS
Calves fed pasteurized colostrum and waste milk were worth an extra $8.13 in gross margin/calf, compared with calves fed nonpasteurized colostrum and waste milk. The minimum number of cattle for which feeding pasteurized colostrum and waste milk was calculated to be economically feasible was 315 calves/d (1,260-cow dairy farm).


CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS
An economic benefit was associated with feeding pasteurized colostrum and waste milk. Additional benefits that may accrue include higher mean weight gain and lower mortality rate of calves as well as calves that have fewer days in which they are affected with diarrhea and pneumonia.
The Thermal Resistance of Mycobacterium Paratuberculosis in Raw Milk under Conditions Simulating Pasteurization
Mycobacterium paratuberculosis is the etiologic agent of ruminant paratuberculosis, commonly referred to as Johne’s disease. The disease is characterized by a chronic granulomatous ileocolitis that ultimately terminates in diarrhea, weight loss, debilitation, and death. 6 The disease is transmitted among ruminants predominately through feces when animals are at a young age. In the United States, the national disease prevalence has been suggested to be 2.6% of the dairy and 0.8% of the beef cattle, 14 although regional surveys suggest local prevalences of 11-17%. 1,5 Cattle infected with M. paratuberculosis shed organisms in feces often at concentrations approaching 10 8 colony