Let your milk test do more with KetoMonitor

An AgSource DHI milk test can tell you many things about a cow.  In addition to how much milk, fat and protein she is producing, you can also:

• Measure how healthy her udder is
• Identify which pathogen is the culprit of any udder illness
• Confirm whether or not she is pregnant
• Determine if she has Leukosis or Johne's Disease
• and you can now detect ketosis in your fresh cows! 

Ketosis, a common early-lactation disease in dairy cattle, is characterized by reduced feed intake, lethargy and abnormal licking and chewing. Until now ketosis was typically diagnosed using a blood test. 

Enter the AgSource KetoMonitor™, which has been received with great enthusiasm for several reasons: It’s easy, it’s accurate and it saves a lot of money.

The beauty of KetoMonitor is two-fold. It helps to monitor a very costly disease (Ketosis is estimated to cost $289/cow/case) at the herd level. Without regular blood sampling, 85-90% of subclinical cases of ketosis go undetected. Utilizing test-day milk sample information, KetoMonitor can help dairy producers measure how big the problem is in the herd.  This information is tracked over a period of 12 months, so the impacts of seasons and management changes (like feed and housing) can be evaluated.

The report not only helps manage the herd. It helps manage sick cows. The back side of the report lists all of the cows tested that day suspected to have Ketosis and keeps track of cows due to freshen within the next 90 days that had ketosis in a prior lactation. This is important because the likelihood of them developing ketosis in subsequent lactations is higher. Listing these cows allows them to be more closely monitored as they approach their due date.

To date 204 herds and 114,469 cows are enrolled on KetoMonitor. If you’d like to join them, contact your local DHI manager or call AgSource Customer Service at 800-236-4995. Learn more at www.agsource.com/ketomonitor. Read how Larson Acres, in Evansville, Wisconsin, utilizes KetoMonitor in their herd.  http://www.progressivedairy.com/topics/people/report-uses-milk-tests-to-predict-levels-of-ketosis-in-the-herd