Stable Fly:

The stable fly also called the "biting fly" is a common fly attacking cattle and other animals (including humans). There appears to be a correlation between the amount of rainfall during the winter and the number of stable flies during the subsequent season, although this has not been shown scientifically. To see if this hypothesis is correct, working with Dr. Brad Mullins from UC Riverside, we have designed a two-part study.

• Part one is an on cow count of stable flies during "the season" for two years. 2001-02 was a dry winter. 2002-03 was a wet winter. The observations are finished and the data is now being analyzed.
• Part two is to look at twenty years of production data and rainfall to see if there is a drop in milk production after a high rainfall winter. If there is and if there is a corresponding increase in stable fly numbers, then we should be able to show a correlation between a high rainfall winter and subsequent milk production. I have just completed collecting twenty-one years of weather and production data from ten California herds. The data is now being analyzed.

The effect of vacuuming manure daily on udder health:

Chino has a methane generator. Nine herds are currently vacuuming manure from the feed area daily to supply the needed manure to the methane plant. Does vacuuming manure daily have any effect on udder health? I have identified the nine herds that are vacuuming manure daily and I am presently in the process of gathering milk quality data from these herds. I have also selected nine herds at random that will be the control group.

Environmental Strep:

Since July 2002, the Veterinary Medicine Teaching and Research Center, Milk Quality Laboratory in Tulare has been culturing bulk tank milk samples from a cooperative. They have repeatedly cultured environmental Streptococcus bacteria in 65 herds. In an attempt to determine what factors contribute to environmental strep, researchers are visiting all 65 herds and filling out a survey. Four herds in the Chino/Ontario area tested positive for environmental Strep. I have visited three herds of the four herds in this area, and I will be visiting the last herd this week. Additionally, each herd received a print out tell what group of environmental Strep we found in their milk and the sensitivity and resistance of the isolates from each herd. This project was sponsored by a University of California Davis, California Food Animal Health grant.