Re: question about confinement dairy testing

April 4, 2006

,

We are not confinement but are conventional. We do confine the cows

in the barn during milking hours....is that what confinement

means????

We ship to DFA and they test every shipment for antibiotics and they

don't count you off if they find it.....they count you OUT!

Antibiotic violations cost a farmer the price of ALL the milk the

contaminated milk got mixed with. It all has to be dumped. You also

have to pay the costs of disposal and here in VA you have to give

good cause as to why you should get your milk picked up again after

you have #$%#ed up like that.

Knock on wood, we haven't been down that road ourselves.

SPC's are run about 3 times a month and PI(preliminary incubation)

counts around 3 times too. PI is a better indicator of problems w/

cleaning of the milking system/milk tank.

They don't run cultures to identify specific bacteria that I know

of. There used to be a Coliform test(and years ago one for

Brucellosis and TB too) but not now for some reason.

Every tank we shop is also tested for water and SCC. We have an

incentive pay bonus for low SCC but the water violation is similar

to antibiotics.

If land prices keep skyrocketing here(Shenandoah Valley) I've

thought Eastern TN may be a good place to relocate. What do you

think of dairy opportunities there?

Alec

>

> Hey all you dairy farmers out there!

> How often is milk at confinement dairy farms tested for e-coli,

> salmonella, listeria and SPC? Does anyone k now who knows the

> industry? I mean, when the co-op truck comes by and the milk

gets

> tested for antibiotics (which they get counted off for) and

tested

> for Somatic cells count (which they also get counted off for I

think)

> when do they test the milk for other pathogens? Ever? And what

> about SPC when is that tested for? IS it the same in every state?

> Any and all answers would be SO appreciated.

> Thanks,

> D.

>

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