Hoping to get a family milk cow? It might be a good idea to get her tested. If you are just doing it for a hobby and don’t expect to expand in the future it isn’t as important but it can still make your life easier.
What should I test a new milk cow for?
A2A2: This indicates what type of milk protein the cow produces. A2A2 is believed to be the more natural and digestible version and is becoming very popular. For most people it isn’t necessary but it can be helpful for people who have digestive problems.
Brucellosis: This isn’t as important to test for in MN since we are a brucellosis free state. It has a nasty reoccurring fever and can affect the reproductive system. It can also affect people so it is important to keep this out of your herd. If you are purchasing animals in a state that isn’t brucellosis free it would be a good idea to have the animal checked.
TB: This isn’t necessary in MN since we are a TB free state. If you are purchasing cattle from out of state and especially if you are purchasing from a state that isn’t TB free you will need to have this checked. It will be necessary to have the vet out twice for it. Total costs are around $400 in the Twin Cities Area if you are just having one cow tested. Do note that this test can result in false positives. In this case the Vet will report it to the State. The State will then quarantine the herd until a State Inspector can come out and retest them. Don’t TB test a herd that got the Johnes vaccine as you are more likely to get false positives.
Johnes: This is a cattle wasting disease that is shed in the feces. Typically an animal is infected as a calf but the animal won’t test positive for it before it is 2.5 years old. As a result it doesn’t make sense to directly test new heifers. Our best luck has been to take a bulk tank milk sample from the farm to determine if any of the cows on the farm have it. If they don’t then the calves or heifers aren’t likely to have been infected either. This test tends to cost around $10. Very important to Note. Herds with severe problems used to get treated with Johnes vaccines.
BVD: Bovine Viral Diarrhea: Can be very costly in your herd. Your solution will probably involve culling infected animals. We will often have this tested on the bulk tank sample as well but the results from the individual cow is more important. This test costs around $10.
BLV: Bovine Leukemia Virus: Only 5% of animals infected will ever have a problem with it. It doesn’t transmit to humans although one article suggested a link to breast cancer. I can’t find any other source supporting this article. It is wonderful if you can keep it out of the herd but is not as important as the other diseases on the list.
4 Contagious Mastitis: The critical one here is Staph A, the other 3 are just nice to know. Many farmers say ‘Once a Staph cow always a Staph cow’. It is important to run the PCR test on this so you can determine if the cow has had it at any point in the past. We never purchase a milk cow that tests positive for Staph A. Not all of them will end up having a chronic issue but the odds aren’t the greatest when making such a large investment. If you ever find that one of your cows has an active Staph A hit it hard and quick with antibiotics. You don’t want it to get too deep into the udder.
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For dry cows or heifers it would be necessary to take a blood sample.