“Stripping the first three to five streams of milk prior to milking unit attachment serves three important purposes,” says Valerie Ryman, dairy Extension specialist. Forestripping,
- stimulates the teat for proper complete milk let down,
- removes the highest bacterial and somatic cell count (SCC) milk,
- helps milkers identify clinical mastitis and abnormalities in the teat and udder.
Source: Dairy Herd Management, February 25, 2018.
While it’s tempting to forego forestripping in the milking routine to save time and effort, forestripping offers multiple benefits to the cow and, ultimately, to the producers’ bottom line.
INSIGHTS: Somatic cell count is a frequent topic between dairy vets, dairy sales representatives and dairy producers. Use this article to engage the SCC discussion from a different direction.