Assessing Udder Health Opportunities:
Troubleshooting Bacteria Counts & Wash Analysis of Milking Systems
April 9 – 11, 2024
New York CE and RACE approved
Aim:
- Establishing udder health and milk quality goals.
- Develop a science based approach to monitoring people, milking equipment, facilities and cows as it relates to herd goals.
Course size: 20 (*10 Registrants required by March 29th, 2024 or course may be canceled)
Course length: 3 days (14 hours –classroom/lab time)
Fee: $600
Level: Intermediate to advanced
Intended audience: Milk quality consultants, dairy producers, milking equipment personnel,
milk inspectors and veterinarians
Required: Boots and coveralls
Content:
The course will utilize the NMC Procedures for Evaluating Vacuum Levels and Air Flow in Milking Systems and Troubleshooting Cleaning Problems in Milking Systems booklets to analysis the wash system of dairy milking systems when troubleshooting bacteria counts.
All dairy wash systems, no matter if they are a tie-stall, parlor, rotary or AMS incorporate the same six concepts of washing hygiene. The basics of wash system hygiene include time, temperature, chemical concentration, volume, velocity and drainage. All six components of the wash system will be evaluated as part of the course. Wash system function is also based upon properly functioning milking equipment, thus the basics of milking machine function will be evaluated by application of the NMC Vacuum and Airflow methods to make sure that faulty milking equipment is not the cause of wash system failure. Besides reviewing the NMC booklets on Vacuum and Air Flow and Cleaning Systems the course will also provide hands on analysis of each of the six wash components. Numerous case studies will be provided and multiple wash systems will be evaluated as part of the course. Understanding of bulk tank and bedding bacteria counts along with the use of differential bacteria counts will be reviewed to assist with the trouble shooting of bacteria counts.
Development and support of a milk quality team to monitor milking equipment, wash system analysis and differential bacteria counts to provide feedback to ownership based upon numbers will be a primary focus of the course.
Quality Milk Production Services
240 Farrier Rd.
Ithaca, New York 14853
585.786.2555
Email: rdw32@cornell.edu
Course location: Vet Teaching Dairy – 225 Tulip Tree Road Ithaca, NY 14853