When it comes to maintaining milk quality and production throughout the year, many factors come into play.
Summer is a time when milk production often decreases due to changes in pasture quality and naturally reducing levels after peak lactation.
Farm Source Milk Quality Manager Brent Spencer says there are ways to alleviate the decline and maintain milk quality over the summer.
“Supplying good quality milk is a full-season effort. The risks vary depending on the weather and the stage of lactation,” Brent says. Brent shares his top tips to focus on over the summer months.
Read and understand your milking machine test report
The function of your milking machine can have a big impact on animal health, ensuring that interaction between the machine and animal does not damage the teat and increase mastitis risk.
Correct machine function is also needed to ensure a good plant wash is completed. Typically, milking machine reports describe the faults but do not explain the impact on animals and your wash. Seek further advice if you are unsure.
Regularly monitor teat spray application, especially automatic sprayer
The function of your milking machine can have a big impact on animal health, ensuring that interaction between the machine and animal does not damage the teat and increase mastitis risk. Correct machine function is also needed to ensure a good plant wash is completed. Typically, milking machine reports describe the faults but do not explain the impact on animals and your wash. Seek further advice if you are unsure.
Ensure effective dairy washing
Ensure your wash is functioning well, inspect your milking plant at least monthly using the plant check app, and react to alerts early before counts rise. Inspect the whole plant as the risk is higher over the warmer months.
Monitor your milk cooling performance regularly
New technologies and data integrations mean it is much easier to monitor your vat with your smartphone. Connecting the technologies available with your vat will likely save you some milk at some stage during the season.
You also need to complete an extended milk cooling check during the months where milk cooling is most under pressure (during peak, and when ambient temperatures are highest). Completing these is important, as this fulfils the majority of your cooling recording obligations, without the need to produce any digital records to prove compliance.