The basis of a mastitis control program must revolve around controlling and reducing the bacteria levels on the cow's teat as well as decreasing transportation of bacteria into the cow's udder. There is ample evidence that the frequency of intramammary infection is directly related to the level of exposure of the teat to bacteria. Yet the control of bacteria levels on the cow's teat is often limited to the time the cows are in the milking center. We have proven and effective post-dips, standards for proper milking procedure, pre-dips that have been tested to prove effectiveness of rapid kill, as well as monitoring programs such as bulk tank culturing and individual cow somatic cell counts, but they all are subject to failure when labor attaches a unit to a dirty teat. How significant a pre-dip's sixteen second kill time is when applied to a teat covered with organic matter is highly questionable. Although it is the milkers' responsibility to attach the unit to a clean teat, the responsibility of presenting clean cows to the parlor lies with management. Management insists on a quality product being produced which means milking a clean, dry, stimulated teat, with low levels of bacteria, while always maintaining cow throughput. At the same time, labor realizes that a lack of cow throughput is what will cause immediate negative repercussions and, consequently, will maintain cow flow at the expense of proper milking technique. Although it is impossible to completely sanitize an environment, there are steps that can be taken to keep bacteria numbers low. This will present a cow to the milking center in a manner that will allow a milker to attach the unit to a clean, dry, and stimulated teat as well as maintain cow throughput.

There are a variety of factors that impact the bacteria load on the cow's teat. Proper maintenance of free stalls and corrals are an absolute necessity. There are many references describing proper free stall design, however even the most perfect design cannot function if free stalls are not maintained. Regular maintenance and management are required to assure that free stalls provide a clean dry and comfortable environment. There are four areas involved in free stall maintenance: daily maintenance, bedding maintenance, stall bed maintenance and stall partition maintenance. The daily maintenance involves frequent raking and spot cleaning and needs to be conducted several times a day. This can be preformed while moving cows to the milking center as well as when observing cows for heat. This should become second nature for any employee walking through the free stall barn. If done routinely, it takes very little time and will go a long way toward not only promoting cow cleanliness, but also developing a positive attitude about cleanliness.

Bedding maintenance will vary with the type of stall and bedding use. However, whether it is adding a thin layer on top of a mattress or adding sand to a stall, at least weekly attention is necessary to maintain stall acceptance and cow cleanliness. Establishing a set routine of bedding maintenance (i.e. every Monday and Thursday) will help prevent the bedding layer from becoming inadequate. If the cows are laying in the alley or half in the stall they are "telling" you that bedding is unacceptable and you are already too late.

Stall bed maintenance will also vary with the type of stall base used. Obviously concrete stalls will not need to be leveled, while clay beds and mattresses will. Bedding maintenance is often the overriding factor in determining the frequency of stall maintenance. The proper longitudinal slope needs to be maintained to encourage stall use and allow for proper positioning of the cow in the stall. Poor bedding and stall maintenance are the number one reason I see good free stall designs becoming completely dysfunctional and allowing cows to be presented to the parlor with filthy udders.

Stall partition maintenance needs to be done on an as needed basis. Loose or broken partitions should be replaced immediately. Partition cost is minimal when compared to an injured cow.

Drylot corral design will vary on the climatic and geological conditions. The size of a drylot including feedlanes and shades should be from 400 to 600 sq. ft. per cow. For proper drainage adequate slope must be established. A 2% to 3% slope perpendicular to the feed lane with a minimum of a 1% longitudinal slope along the feed face has proven to be successful. Geotextile fabrics used to support roadbed rock bases and to distribute vehicle weight have been used in heavy traffic areas. These filter fabrics allow moisture to pass through the material while holding rock in place insuring solid footing.

Dry lots should be cleaned daily. Situations that increase cow density, such as the congestion of cattle under shaded areas, may require more than daily maintenance. Common objections to daily lot maintenance need to be addressed. By far the most frequent one is that "I do not have the time or the labor" (equipment is usually already parked somewhere on the dairy); followed by "I'll cut or dig my lots down" or "I'll bring up rocks"; to "Every time I scrape my pens I get mastitis"; or "I'll pile up too much manure." Once the dry lots are in shape it takes approximately thirty minutes to totally maintain a two hundred cow pen. Digging holes in the lots or bringing up rocks is usually only a problem when a lot has not been regularly maintained or with a very inexperienced driver. I do feel safer with an inexperienced driver on a tractor in the open spaces of a dry lot verses that same driver on a tractor in the confined space of a free stall. Regardless, with regular maintenance the drylot will smooth and level out and will provide a clean, comfortable surface. Complaints of increased mastitis levels after scraping are circumstantial at best. Yes, when you have four inches of manure and add one inch of rain you end up with twelve inches of slop. Five to seven days later, if it does not rain again, it will dry enough to enter the drylot to scrape, but by then mastitis has often already become a problem. A well maintained drylot under the same conditions will require approximately twelve to twenty-four hours to dry enough to scrape and another twelve to twenty-four hours to be totally dry. This will reduce the bacteria load on the cow's teat and allow clean cows to be presented to the milkers before mastitis has gotten out of hand. Finally, as to the problem caused by piling up too much manure: that is the point. We want to pile it up. A cow will produce approximately one hundred pounds of manure a day or ten times that amount in ten days or a hundred times that amount in one hundred days. This manure needs to be removed from the cow's environment and not by the cow bringing it into the parlor on her udder.

Manure in feedlanes and heavy traffic areas, whether in a drylot or a free stall barn, need to be done at least daily or, preferably, twice a day. Choices for manure removal include tractor scraping, mechanical alley scraping or water flushing.

Bedding should be used in both free stalls and drylots to provide cow comfort, to keep the animal clean, and to absorb moisture. Bedding in dry lots should be considered whenever cattle begin to congest or congregate under shade due to either the heat or wet conditions. Frequency of cleaning will depend on the material used and the location, but usually a two to four day cycle is required. Bedding can be categorized as either organic or inorganic. Inorganic bedding, such as sand, offers the advantages of being a poor environment for bacteria growth, keeps the animals clean and promotes drainage which moves moisture away from the cow. Disadvantages revolve around increasing wear on waste handling equipment. Organic bedding is readily available, inexpensive, and can be used on any type of stall base. Disadvantages are an increase in maintenance requirement and the opportunity to become a primary source of mastitis due to environmental bacteria if not properly maintained.

Reducing the exposure of environmental bacteria on the cow's teats needs to be a primary concern in any mastitis control program. This procedure cannot be totally conducted in the milking center. It must begin outside with proper housing design, proper bedding, ongoing maintenance, and attention to the details that result in bringing a cow to the barn that is not only dry and comfortable, but also clean.