Improving Milk Quality on Pennsylvania Dairy Farms Through Individual Farm Assessments to Increase Profitability
Extension Education
Emily Fread
Dairy Educator
Penn State
Mifflinburg
Abstract
According to the 2022 US Census of Agriculture, there are 4,027 dairy farms in Pennsylvania. Mastitis, or an infection of the mammary gland, is one of the costliest diseases in the dairy industry as it results in a drop in milk, and an increase in labor and treatment costs. A Somatic Cell Count (SCC) of 200,000 or greater is indicative of mastitis. The Penn State Extension Dairy Team has provided individual milking evaluation farm visits for many years. They received a Farmer Partnership Grant from Northeast Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) in the amount of $25,083 to build upon this programming. The first objective of this project was to assess common milk quality problems and misconceptions on PA dairy farms. Next, the educators aimed to improve SCC on dairy farms to increase profitability. Finally, the team set out to utilize data from the project to provide milk quality workshops for other farms across the state. Since the start of the project in August 2024, the team has enrolled 36 farms in 19 counties, totaling 4728 cows. During milking evaluations on these farms, the team assesses milking procedures and uses Vadia units to monitor milk flow and vacuum pressure. The team then delivers recommendations tailored to that farm on ways to improve milk quality. This grant has enabled 6-month follow-up visits to assess practice implementation. Those are currently being conducted. Data from these follow-up visits has not been analyzed, but since 2023, our team has helped reduce SCC by 153,650 (n=20), resulting in a financial impact of $18,517 per farm. The team has hosted 3 workshops titled Milk Matters: Practical Steps to Better Milk Quality with 43 attendees across the state. Two more workshops are currently planned. The survey results for this workshop show that 100% of participants (n=34) showed at least a somewhat increase in knowledge from attending a workshop. 93% were at least somewhat likely to implement a management change. In conclusion, this program has enabled PA farms to improve milk quality by lowering SCC and increasing farm profitability.
Poster has NOT been presented at any previous NACAA AM/PIC
This poster is being submitted for judging. It will be displayed at the AM/PIC if not selected as a State winner. The abstract will be published in the proceedings.
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Authors: Emily Fread, Cassie Yost, Ginger Fenton, Daniela Roland, Angela Breneman
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Fread, E. Dairy Educator, Penn State Extension, Pennsylvania, 17844
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Yost, C. Dairy Educator, Penn State Extension, Pennsylvania, 16652
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Fenton, G. Dairy Educator, Penn State Extension, Pennsylvania, 16137
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Roland, D. Dairy Educator, Penn State Extension, Pennsylvania, 17201
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Breneman, A. Dairy Educator, Penn State Extension, Pennsylvania, 17601