Celebrations!
More than seven years ago in October 2011, I wrote the first ever preface of M²-magazine, the “Magazine on Mastitis and Milk Quality for the Dairy Professional.” Today we are finalising the 20th edition of what has become a well-accepted and valued source of global information on udder health and milk quality.
The journey has not always been smooth, but it has been exciting and full of deadlines. It has resulted in 20 editions of scientifically sound information, appreciated by many readers throughout the world. This was only possible because so many colleagues accepted our invitation to put pen to paper and enlightened us with their focus on diverse topics, such as antimicrobial resistance, the use of molecular methods in mastitis management, mastitis and pain, robotic milking, mammary gland immunity, the milking machine and milking routine, and their relation with udder health, Mycoplasma mastitis, the milk microbiome, etc. Eminent researchers, consultants, advisors and veterinarians provided insight into their daily work. Meetings and conferences that took place around the globe were reported on, and projects aimed at improving udder health in different parts of the world were covered. Summaries of PhD theses have been published.
Back in 2011, I emphasized that the magazine would cease to exist if it didn’t have satisfied readers. This is still true. Today, people tend to read online more than they did in 2011. To accommodate those readers we have put efforts into developing and expanding our website, www.m2-magazine.org. We have created what we think is a not-to-miss hub for reliable, relevant, and up-to-date (business) information in the broad field of mastitis and milk quality. We also developed an e-newsletter, which now reaches 5000+ readers every 2–3 weeks. We hope this helps to make the information more easily accessible and that we reach more people than ever.
All in all, none of this would have been possible without the efforts of the authors and without the generous support of the numerous companies that advertise in our magazine and on our website. We remain grateful to them all, and to you, dear reader, for helping us to maintain our dream of this magazine.
All suggestions, comments, ideas, criticism are gladly accepted and will help us to produce the next 20 editions of M².
Sarne De Vliegher – Sarne.Devliegher@UGent.be
Sarne De Vliegher holds a DVM and PhD degree from Ghent University and an MSc in veterinary epidemiology and animal health economics from Utrecht University. He is currently an associate professor at Ghent University and diplomate of the European College of Veterinary Public Health. He heads of M-teamUGent, is cofounder of MEXTM, co-editor-in-chief and co-product-manager of M² and has been serving as the treasurer and secretary of the National Mastitis Council.