Milk Quality

Quality milk begins with attention to detail

As the National Dairy farm magazine, Hoard's Dairyman's Milk Quality E-source provides management information to dairy herd owners on producing top quality milk. Attention is paid to environmental factors, milking equipment handling, milking techniques, and the economic impact of high quality milk.


Award Winners

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Large or small, these herds make quality milk
The 2018 National Dairy Quality Award Platinum winners represent an exemplary group of dairy producers. Not only do these herds produce some of the nation’s highest-quality milk on a daily basis

Environmental Considerations

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Klebsiella is a really bad bug
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Can we reduce mastitis?
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Reduced exposure limits Klebsiella infections
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Overlooked overcrowding
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Each bedding type comes with its own issues
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Not all sand is created equal
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Improve your chances for curing mastitis
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Improve milk quality by targeting chronic cows
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Even if unseen, mastitis occurs during the dry period
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Mastitis control hinges on dry and fresh cow care
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Compost barns helping udder health and cow comfort
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Are solids a solid bedding?
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The deeper the mud, the dirtier the udder
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Maximize heifers’ udder health

Quality Control at Milking Time

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Selective antibiotic use matters
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It’s all in the flow
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That “spray” could be infecting your cows
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These eight farms shed light on mastitis
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Parlor communication must go two ways
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Getting the mastitis numbers we need
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Round Table: Low numbers add up to top quality milk
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Ten tips to bolster milking performance
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Type of mastitis affects your loss
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Err on the side of safety to avoid milk residues
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A lower bulk tank SCC needs individual action

Economic Results

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What is the true cost of mastitis?
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Not all mastitis cases hurt us the same way
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Poor-quality milk has hidden costs

Udder Health Videos

The details add up to high production
BY Mark Hardesty, D.V.M.
Clean cows make clean milk
BY Jim Davenport
Mastitis Management Through Milk Cultures
BY Mike Zurakowski, D.V.M.
Milking evaluation reveals costly problems
BY Phil Durst, Michigan State University
Troubleshooting mastitis and milk quality problems
BY Paul Virkler, D.V.M., Quality Milk Production Services
Making use of all that parlor data
BY David Reid, D.V.M.
Winter strategies to enhance teat health and milk quality
BY Leo Timms, Iowa State University
New concepts in mastitis control
BY Pamela Ruegg, D.V.M.
Save time and money in the parlor
BY David Reid, D.V.M.
What lower somatic cell counts could mean to you
BY Pamela Ruegg, D.V.M.

Responsible Use of Antibiotics Videos

Using drugs responsibly on dairy farms
BY Pamela Ruegg, D.V.M.
FDA's residue study: History, results, implications
BY Jamie Jonker, National Milk Producers Federation