Welcome to the first episode of The Dairy Health Blackbelt Podcast—your go-to source for practical, science-based talk about dairy cattle health. I’m Dr. Mark Thomas, your co-host, here to bring you straight-to-the-point conversations with top experts and real-world takeaways that connect research to everyday farm life.

In this episode, Dr. Douglas Reinemann from the University of Wisconsin–Madison breaks down how milking equipment influences udder health. He shares what really drives mastitis risk from a machine perspective—think liner fit, overmilking, and teat-end condition. He also discusses vacuum fluctuations, why they’re outdated concerns with today’s cows and machines, and how veterinarians and producers can assess equipment and milking procedures in the field. Listen now on all major platforms!

"The highest risk of mastitis in the herd is mastitis in a herd."

Meet the guest: Dr. Douglas Reinemann is a Professor and Associate Dean for Outreach and Extension in the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He holds an M.S. and B.S. from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and a Ph.D. in Agricultural Engineering from Cornell University. He has directed the UW Milking Research and Instruction Lab since 1990. His work focuses on machine milking biomechanics, mastitis risk, and cow-milking system interactions.

What you will learn:

• (00:00) Introduction
• (02:50) Milking and mastitis link
• (04:00) Backflush system insights
• (06:27) Mastitis risks from equipment
• (10:20) Teat congestion and overmilking
• (14:20) Importance of liner fit
• (15:02) Closing thoughts

𝗟𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗻 𝗼𝗻 𝗔𝗽𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝗣𝗼𝗱𝗰𝗮𝘀𝘁𝘀, 𝗦𝗽𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗳𝘆 𝗼𝗿 𝗮𝗻𝘆 𝗺𝗮𝗷𝗼𝗿 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺.

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