Evaluation of Milk Components and Somatic Cell Count in Montbéliarde Dairy Cows

The Montbéliarde (MO) breed is part of the Jurassic branch, originating from Bos frontosus and giving rise to the Pie Rouge group of breeds. This study aimed to evaluate the milk components and somatic cell count (SCC) in a selected herd of Montbéliarde cattle. The data for the evaluation of milk components and SCC in the Montbéliarde herds considered were provided by the B.S. SR database. A total of 1,015 dairy cows from the years 2019 to 2022 were included in the evaluation, which assessed the daily milk yield (DMY, kg), fat content (%), protein content (%), lactose content (%), and SCC (cells/ml). Basic statistical and variability characteristics were analyzed using the SAS software. The following average values for the daily milk traits and SCC in Montbéliarde cows were recorded: 27.09 kg DMY, 3.99% fat, 3.63% protein, 4.83% lactose, and 380.28 somatic cells/ml (SCC). In 2019, a total of 791 samples were analyzed, yielding an average of 26.24 kg DMY, 3.95% fat content, 3.67% protein content, 4.75% lactose content, and 366.86 cells/ml SCC. For the years 2020, 2021, and 2022, higher average values for the daily milk yield, milk components, and SCC were observed. The correlation between the SCC and milk components was low, negative, and statistically highly significant. The following correlation coefficients between the SCC and daily milk yield, fat percentage, protein percentage, and lactose percentage were recorded: r = -0.1060, r = 0.0439, r = 0.0654, and r = -0.3662, respectively. In the linear model for SCC evaluation, the lactation order had the highest effect (R² = 0.0379), whereas the sire effect was found lower (R² = 0.0232).