The team of nine work with farmers nationwide to support milk quality improvement, sustainable dairy practices, animal wellbeing, and food safety.
Canterbury-based milk quality manager (MQM) Brent Spencer says the success of the programme is identifying opportunities for improvement and sharing knowledge from what works on other farms.
"We are able to go in and work with farmers at any early stage and put actions in place so the situation does not spiral. If an animal is not in the best condition it can be, it is not going to produce as well as it could. Thankfully our Co-op farmers tend to be very focused on animal wellbeing and seeking ways to improve animal health and efficiency," he says.
Brent's area contains 1,200 farmers in the South Island, who are supported by regular telephone catch-ups, on-farm visits and assistance from South Island's various Farm Source stores.
Co-op farmers have access to free milk quality improvement visits by locally based milk quality managers. Visits cover milking efficiency strategies and mastitis. The mastitis visit looks at all aspects that could be affecting somatic cell count (SCC), compares the farm's operation with best practice and reviews the information in the Farm Insights Report.
Milking Efficiency Visits require a visit to observe milking after which farmers receive a detailed report highlighting opportunities to reduce time spent milking.
"The milk quality improvement visits are a great opportunity for the milk quality managers and farmers to chat about their operations. We're not trying to sell anything. The Farm Insights Report allows us to highlight best practice and provide a comparative benchmark, particularly around opportunities to reduce somatic cell counts and improve milking efficiency," Brent says.
The industry standard is to have a SCC under 150 (x1000 cells/ml). In the South Island, most regions are sitting well within this target.
"Improving teat condition and ensuring a good teat spray mix and correct size of teat liner can have a huge positive flow on effect. When it comes to mastitis, it all starts with the condition of the animal's teats. If the teat is in good condition, then you're giving that animal the best opportunity to stave off infection," Brent says.
"The lower the SCC, the higher the cow's production. Plus, there are benefits for the farm - reduced labour because you're not managing clinical cases, lower replacement needs as cull numbers are reduced, lower treatment costs and fewer antibiotics," says Brent.
Brent recalls one farmer shaved off 45 minutes from his milking time by changing the process around the backing gate and flow. The small change also ended up saving him money with lower power, water and labour requirements, and improved animal welfare with lameness greatly reduced.
To book your milk quality service visit, head your local Farm Source store or visit nzfarmsource.co.nz/milkquality.