The use of somatic cell count (SCC) as an indicator of udder health in dairy cows has evolved significantly since it was first introduced in the 1970s. It has become a cornerstone in milk quality assessment and mastitis management. Typically, SCC has been done on individual cow milk collected during the monthly DHI test. The results are received by a dairy 2 to 7 days later various “rules of thumb” have evolved to evaluate this data which then inform the creation of different protocols for improving udder health in cows and for lowering bulk tank somatic cell count (BTSCC), often to try to capture milk quality premiums. Milk with SCC < 200k cells/ml has generally been considered to be from uninfected cows. Cows with SCC ≥ 200k but < 800k or ≥ 800k were said to be “moderately” or “seriously” infected, respectively. The objective of this study was to determine how much vari­ability existed in a cow’s SCC between monthly tests and if test­ing SCC more frequently (weekly) might provide more meaning­ful information for improving individual cow milk quality as well as BTSCC.