PRODUCING CLEAN MILK

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 80, 21 April 1937, Page 15

PRODUCING CLEAN MILK

Valuable Competition For Dairy Farmers PRACTICAL HYGIENE Eecently a clean millc competition was held in Victoria, Australia. The competition was promoted in the hope and expectation of demoustrating to dairy farmers the advantages accruing from correct dairy practice and attention to sanitation, as it was belieyed that the observance of the essentials in the production of clean milk was within the power of every dairyfarmer, however limited his means, and with this in mind the scale for the allocation of points was drawn up. The outcome of the competition, the judges report, has proved this beliet to be right, for where due regard was given to sanitation in lay-out and drainage, the most effective results were obtained from clean milking methods and thorough sterilisation of utensils. If a man failed in these particulars, elaborate buildings counted for nothing. The English seheme for the conduct of clean milk cpmpetitions was taken as a model, but to simplify the judging this was modified and scoring points were divided into six seetions: — 1, Health of cows; 2; absence of mammitis; 3, equipment; 4, dairy practice; 5, Wad test; 6, bacterial count. In the second quarter of the year a ronnd of purely advisory inspections was made, and competitors proved eager to adopt suggestions. Judging inspections were made during July, August and September. An analysis of the scale- of points shows that methods and milk quality counted for more than elaborate equipment, a condition which gave the man with premises of a medium struetural standard a sporting chance in competition with the man with first-class premises. One of the most valuable factors in the improvement of milking methods, the judges reporte'd, was the wad test, This was carried out at milking by means of a sediment "gun." Samples were taken from individual unstrained milkings, the resulting wads being used as a basis to determine the score for the wad test. This phase of the competition proved an object lesson to the milkers and croated a healthy spirit of rivalry. Where the lesson was taken to heart a great improvement was aected, as was shown when later samples were taken. A sample was also takou from the bulk strained milk, and testcd to determine the efflciency of straining., From this seetion of the competition a very noteworthy fact emerged' Where a feed Toom is attached to a milking shed, it is useless to expect a patisfactory wad, unless there is an adequate , dust-proof partition between chaff-house and bails. Similar clean-milk competitions in New Zealand would probably do much to xaise the standard of our raw product.