WALLACEDALE dairy farmers, Josh Keightley and Remeny McCann prove anything can be done when you put your mind to it and stick to the plan.

Following an ongoing frustration with threshold-high level Bulk Milk Cell Counts (BMCC) with their 380 cows, they decided to get in touch with their dairy processor, Fonterra Australia and their Farm Source team to see if there was something that could be done.

“Three years ago, coming out of post calving, I realized that I started to have some cell count issues,” Mr Keightley said.

“I was … seeing around 30 (to) 40 per cent of cows coming out of post calving with subclinical mastitis - meaning that at their peak lactation, they were producing low-quality milk and infecting the rest of the herd.”

The couple embarked on a two-year journey to improve milk quality to find the root of persistent mastitis infections in their herd and improve milk quality.

Australian milk is strictly monitored through routine testing for the concentration of somatic cells – BMCC is measured during every milk tanker pick up from dairy farms across the country.

In Australia, the limit generally used for dairy milk is a BMCC of 400,000 cells per millilitre.

While this limit is acceptable, a performance target of less than 250,000 cells/ml is considered good and below 150,000 cells/ml is excellent.

Nowadays, the couple consistently achieve a consistent BMCC of around 125,000 and has dipped even lower.

“I still remember the first time we went under 100 (thousand),” Mr Keightley said.

“After we sorted out the problem, I think we’ve got a 97 (thousand) result and I’ll never forget … the happiness that I felt.”

The couple credited their relationship with Fonterra as central to achieving the results they see today, and for the positive reinforcement to keep at it.

“Through our supply agreement we have access to expertise … and from day one, they’ve been committed to working with us to identify the cause of the problem right down to each individual cow,” Mr Keightley said.

“The first steps I took, I contacted Jozzy (Jocelyn) Bevin, who’s my area manager out here, who put me on to (Responsible Dairy specialist) Brandan Hyland … it’d be another set of eyes and ears just to pick up on things.”

Mr Hyland said he worked alongside the couple and their vet to recommend various changes.

“I went out for regular milkings to initially help identify the root cause of infections, and then we focused on new milking techniques and mastitis management to keep the infections away,” he said.

One of the actions was to split the herd into three which was central to identifying the cows at the root of the problem to limit cross-contamination.

Mr Hyland said it was clear from the beginning the couple were on board with change.

“They wanted to understand the cause of their issue and worked hard to achieve the best outcome for their herd,” Mr Hyland said.

“It was my role to ensure they had the skills and training needed to manage their milk quality moving forward, and to take ownership of it - which is exactly what they did.”

Mr Keightley said he advised anyone who was having similar problems “to reach out put your ego aside and contact your team, because they’re there to help”.

“They’re an asset for us, which I realise now,” he said.

“And ever since I’ve made that call, it’s been life changing.”