Are you pulling your hair out because your milking parlor is constantly running behind schedule? This is one of the biggest frustrations and time and money drains for a lot of dairies.
Milk quality, however, does not just fall from the sky and come to our dairy. It is a part of our business that takes time and effort, with training and maintenance of a relatively simple protocol.
Milk quality is a top priority at Crandall Dairy Farms LLC. The quality of the end product we produce, milk, may be the best way to evaluate our overall success. High-quality milk can only come from healthy cows and can only be harvested by the best of people.
One fairly unique thing we do, however, is use an on-farm culture lab. My wife, Sybil, has a background in microbiology and molecular biology. So it seemed logical to ask her to set up our lab as well as manage it.
Beginning Oct. 1, 2010, any dairy processor exporting to the European Union will need to certify that each farm that supplies milk for those exports must be below 400,000 somatic cell count.
A bill before the Wisconsin Legislature is gaining momentum because Legislator's want to help small dairy farmers. The bill would allow farmers' to sell raw milk directly to consumers if they posted warning signs that the milk might contain disease-causing organisms.
The crew at the Michigan State University (MSU) dairy farm has been able to overcome these obstacles for two consecutive years to be awarded the distinction of being a National Dairy Quality Award (NDQA) Platinum level dairy farm.
The Food and Drug Administration reports that the number of antibiotic-positive milk tankers was just 0.026% for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2009. That's a decrease of 7% from the previous year.
Opinions vary when it comes to specific dietary recommendations for prefresh diets that reduce subclinical and clinical hypocalcemia and postpartum metabolic disorders.
