Progress report for ONE24-446
Project Information
- This project seeks to assess common
milk quality problems and misconceptions on dairy farms through
key informants interviews. - This project aims to guide dairy
farmers throughout PA through making goals related to milk
quality. These goals may include decreasing somatic cell count
or other milk quality parameters. - A goal of this project is to assist
dairy farmers in meeting their milk quality goals through
individual farm assessments and a follow-up
report. - Throughout this project , educators
will conduct follow-up evaluation visits to determine rate of
implementation of specific practice recommendations from
initial farm assessment and how closely farmers are meeting
their milk quality goals. - Throughout this project, educators
will gather and utilize data regarding the implementation of
suggested practices from initial farm assessment to provide
workshops for other producers in the dairy
community. - During the completion of this
project, educators will present findings at the national
American Dairy Science Association (ADSA) annual meeting, host
milk quality workshops and write an article detailing
findings.
Most dairy farmers in Pennsylvania market their milk through cooperatives. When cooperatives pick up a truckload of milk, the farmer typically receives results from a milk test that include butter fat, protein, Somatic Cell Count (SCC), Standard Plate Count (SPC), Preliminary Incubation (PI) count, and milk urea nitrogen (MUN). SCC is a milk quality parameter and represents the number of white blood cells in the mammary gland and is correlated with mastitis or a mammary infection (Rainard et al., 2018). Mastitis is one of the costliest diseases in the dairy industry, as it results in a drop in milk production, and increased labor and treatment costs. One study estimated that depending on the treatment plan and rate of transmission, a case of clinical mastitis could cost a dairy farmer as much as $598 (Down et al., 2013). A SCC of 200,000 or greater is an indicator of subclinical mastitis, which does not present clinical signs but can still impact animal health, milk production, and milk quality. Not all cooperatives, but many, offer incentives to keep SCC under a certain level, as elevated SCC can negatively impact the quality of processed dairy products. Some cooperatives also have a threshold that can cause a farmer to experience a deduction in milk price if their SCC rises above a certain level. If a farmer has consistent elevated SCC over a certain level, they may be in jeopardy of losing their milk market. Keeping SCC down is a priority for many dairy producers as it impacts milk quality and animal health.
Other milk quality aspects that cooperatives often measure include SPC and PI counts. These parameters often reflect the efficacy of a dairy farmer’s equipment cleaning procedures and milk cooling systems. These parameters are monitored by dairy cooperatives as high levels can be a food safety concern.
The Penn State Extension Dairy Team has conducted milking evaluations to assist dairy farmers in lowering SCC and improving SPC and PI for many years. Most of these visits have resulted in farmers improving milk quality, some have even begun to receive a price premium for their milk that they were not receiving before. Over the years, we have observed many common misconceptions that farmers have about milking procedures that negatively impact milk quality. The goal of this project is to expand on these milking evaluations to obtain data regarding common causes of poor milk quality on dairy farms so that other service providers can better help farmers improve milk quality.
The average SCC in Pennsylvania has decreased from 331,000 in 2000 to 189,000 in 2021 (Norman et al., 2000; Norman et al., 2021). This data comes from national and state level averages of Dairy Herd Improvement (DHI) monthly testing. Norman et al. (2021) reported 23,862 test days in 2021.Although the state average is below the threshold of 200,000 when animals start to experience health and production losses as a result of subclinical mastitis, Norman et al. (2021), reported that 8% of test days in Pennsylvania had a SCC over 400,000. This means over 1900 test days in 2021 had a poor SCC. While there is a significant body of literature regarding practices that can be used to lower SCC, there is little information available as to what procedures are being implemented on farms and why some farms in Pennsylvania are still experiencing a high SCC.
It is important to keep SCC low on farms statewide to ensure that farmers will continue to have a market for their milk and to ensure that there is a safe, high-quality product on the grocery store shelves that consumers trust. By educating producers on how to improve milk quality through individual farm assessments and workshops, we hope to improve milk quality and animal health, as they are related. If producers are able to improve milk quality as a result, they could be eligible to receive a premium for their milk that they may have not been receiving prior. Improving somatic cell count will also increase milk production. Farms that participate in a milking evaluation and follow up may improve their overall farm management, which in turn can improve animal well-being. Improving milk quality on these farms could also lower antibiotic use if farmers are treating fewer cases of clinical mastitis. This would cut back on costs and help work towards a shared goal of reduced antibiotic resistance.
Cooperators
Research
We will begin this project by completing key informant interviews with industry stakeholders to determine common milk quality problems and misconceptions on dairy farms that we may be unaware of. These interviews will be semi-structured to allow additional follow-up questions to be asked and for informants to speak freely on the topic (Strauss and Corbin, 1990). This will allow us to gain a broader view of milk quality on Pennsylvania dairy farms. Interview questions can be found as a supplemental document. Key informants may include representatives from milk marketing cooperatives, veterinarians, nutritionists and prominent dairy farmers. Interviews will be recorded and transcribed and key trends will be identified and analyzed.
By working with Maryland & Virginia Milk Producers Cooperative Association we will begin enrolling farms on the project. Farms will not be required to be a Maryland & Virginia member, and will also be recruited through other avenues including word of mouth and advertising on the Dairy Team social media.
Once a farm has been enrolled, the Dairy Educator will inquire whether the farm undergoes monthly milk testing for SCC. If they do, the Dairy Educator will be able to track the farm’s SCC over time. If farm does not do monthly milk testing , we will work with their cooperative or another source to track SCC over time. Historical SCC data will allow educators to conduct a financial analysis to determine how much money the producer is losing due to mastitis. This analysis will evaluate losses due to treatments, labor, lowered milk production, lost premiums and culls/deaths due to elevated SCC. A survey will be delivered to enrolled farms regarding current milking procedures and milk quality goals that they have.
During the on-farm assessment, Dairy Educators will go through a milking evaluation checklist, which is included as a supplemental document. Dairy Educators will observe current milking procedures and use Vadia units to evaluate milking equipment. Data will be collected regarding the following parameters as these all impact the milk letdown process and SCC:
- Whether gloves are being worn during milking
- Lag time between start of prep and unit attachment
- Whether pre-dip and post-dip are being used and the active ingredient in each product
- Whether stripping is occurring during prep and how long it is occurring for
- Order of prep procedure
- Whether cows remain standing for at least 30 minutes after milking
- Whether all milkers are consistently using same prep procedure
- Whether high SCC cows have been cultured to determine if environmental or contagious mastitis is present
- If contagious mastitis is present, whether those cows are being milked last
- Whether dry cow treatment/teat sealant is being used
Vadia units monitor milk flow and vacuum levels to determine length of milking, vacuum levels and degree of overmilking, all factors that can contribute to SCC. A report will be delivered after the initial visit detailing Vadia findings and improvements that can be made based on milking procedure observations.
Digital vacuum meters will be used to measure vacuum level, if a meter is not present already. If a farm is having trouble with PI or SPC counts, we will place thermometers throughout their bulk tank to determine if their milk is cooling properly and if hot enough water is being used to clean the equipment. Water temperatures will be taken as the water goes into the wash cycle and as water comes out.
A follow-up farm visit will be conducted 6 months later to determine rate of implementation of suggested procedures. Vadia units will be used during this follow-up visit to determine if factors such as length of milking and overmilking have been improved. Another financial analysis will be conducted to determine if any financial changes have been made based on SCC changes. Changes in SCC, procedures, and parameters from Vadia units will be compared between visits. Common trends between farms with low SCC and those able to improve will be observed and analyzed.
- Key informant interviews: Five key informant interviews were completed with important industry professionals to inform dairy educators about milk quality in the state. Educators had a large amount of knowledge going into this project, but wanted to be aware of trends that they had not seen. On average, key informants have worked in the dairy industry for 14 years and work with 62 farms. Three interviewees identified lack of education or knowledge as a big hurdle for farms facing somatic cell count (SCC) issues. Two identified the use of cheaper sanitizing products that have no data to back them up. Two participants said that they have seen farms complete regular milk testing to clear up their SCC problems. Two said that having experts such as Extension out to do an evaluation has been helpful. Three said changes to milking procedures made a difference. When asked who the most important person is when it comes to helping farms solve SCC problems, three respondents indicated that the milk inspector/milk coop field rep was the most important. Two said the veterinarian and two said Penn State Extension. Overall, many of these answers supported the prior knowledge of the dairy educators.
- Farm visit milking evaluations: During milking evaluation farm visits of the two additional farms who have been enrolled, somatic cell count issues were mainly due to milking procedure problems and lack of mastitis pathogen identification. Farmer surveys will be analyzed when more data has been collected.
Information obtained from key informant interviews supported dairy educator’s previous knowledge about milk quality trends throughout the state. More milking evaluation farm visits will be completed this year. Once data has been collected and analyzed, it will be disseminated at 3 workshops throughout the state.
Education & Outreach Activities and Participation Summary
Participation Summary:
The Penn State Extension Dairy Team is no stranger to outreach. We will disseminate the results of this study through workshops across Pennsylvania, a presentation at the national American Dairy Science Association meeting, and an article in Penn State Extension’s Dairy Digest Newsletter. Ideally, each of the three workshops will have at least 20 producers in attendance, in total 60 participants. The American Dairy Science Association national meeting typically has 1,900 people in attendance. While all 1,900 people will not attend our presentation, this allows us to present the information on a large scale. Penn State’s Dairy Digest Newsletter listserv has 6500 people enrolled.
In order to disseminate information to the community of Anabaptist farmers in Pennsylvania, at least one workshop will be held in a geographic area where they have a dense population. Postcards will be mailed out containing information regarding the workshop, since they will be unable to receive communications electronically. The workshop will be held at a venue with buggy and bike parking to ensure this community can travel there. To engage the Spanish-speaking population of milkers throughout Pennsylvania, an interpreter will be available upon request at workshops throughout the state.
Learning Outcomes
Follow-up visits will be conducted 6 months after initial visit to determine change in knowledge, attitude, skills and/or awareness.
Project Outcomes
Outcomes will be measured at 6 month follow-up visits.