IR Helps Dairy Industry Beat Bovine Mastitis:

Bovine Mastitis costs the dairy industry over 2 billion dollars each year in prevention efforts, treatment and lost revenue. In cows, a rise in somatic cells reduces milk output and negatively impacts milk quality by leaving deposits behind. Detecting mastitis early can increase overall milk quality, profits and reproductive health while reducing labor, veterinary and drug costs.

Preventing mastitis infections from developing or catching them before they negatively impact revenue can be costly and complicated. Off-site testing is expensive, and it is nearly impossible for on-site testing to detect mastitis before it begins to impact milk quality. Now, infrared thermography can detect subtle rises in temperature at the earliest stages of infection, helping the dairy industry detect mastitis before it has the opportunity to spread. Mounting an IR camera in a location where it can monitor cows for temperature anomalies as they come in for milking is becoming the most cost effective way to detect mastitis, keep milk quality at a premium and keep herds healthy and productive. Even dairies with small herds may find it a worthwhile investment.

Courtesy of Scott Willits, Redwood Infrared, in Inframation 2005 Proceedings