Study: Dairy Cow Somatic Cell Count Tests

SOMATIC CELL COUNT TESTING IN DAIRY COWS (WHITE BLOOD CELLS IN MILK).
When the milk is received at the dairy processing plant it is automatically checked for the level of somatic cells present. All milk contains some level of somatic cells; the level of cells present is an indication of the quality of the milk and the health of the cows. Whenever a cow is subjected to stress, such as an injury or disease, the cell count rises. This is Mother Nature in action – white blood cells are created to fight off the stress.

We have monitored the somatic cell count in the entire milking herd for several months by alternating between the Blushield plugged in to the dairy barn and removed from the dairy barn. The results have been very consistent. The highest level reached without the Blushield has been 420, with the average reading at 360. The lowest reading with the Blushield plugged in to the dairy barn has been 120, with the average reading at 140.

Obviously the cows do not have cell count changes due to psychosomatic factors.