FORT WAYNE, Ind. — Dairy producers should make sure they know the best ways to correct any problems found during testing done on milk from their operations, a specialist with Dairy Farmers of America said recently.

Raw milk testing measures such things as bacteria counts, rancidity, residues and somatic cell counts, said Fabian Bernal, the organization’s manager of dairy science and farm practices.

“Producers should understand the data,” he noted. “If you look at the historic data and what’s happening on the farm, it will give us a lot of good information.”

Milk quality is important for legal and economic reasons because it impacts milk yields and expenses such as those for a veterinarian, Bernal said.

“When we troubleshoot, it’s good to sit down and look at the situation with farmers and come up with solutions,” he explained. “We are not a local market anymore; we’re a world market. We’re not just milking cows anymore; we’re producing food for human consumption.”

Available tests for the dairy industry include those for fat, protein, lactose, blood, fatty acids, solids and added water analysis, said John Rhoads, manager of Eastern Laboratory Services. The Medina, Ohio-based company does testing for about 6,000 dairy farms.

Bernal and Rhoads spoke April 7 to more than 100 attendees at the Indiana Milk Quality Conference in Fort Wayne. During his presentation, Bernal offered potential solutions for problems found with testing.

Several factors influence milk quality, Bernal said. For optimum quality, the somatic cell count (SCC) should be less than 250,000 cells per milliliter, while a farm pick-up temperature of less than 38 degrees is ideal. Consumers prefer butterfat at 3.25 percent or more.

SCC is an indication of herd management, milk quality and mastitis, he said. Producers with high SCC levels should identify the specific problem though a bulk tank culture. They should try to isolate the problem in the herd, look through their historical data and work with their veterinarian.

Testing may also be done for Standard Plate Count (SPC), which measures all bacteria in raw milk. The causes of high counts include poor cleaning of equipment and the milk tank, failure to sanitize before milking and inadequate milk cooling. Bernal noted. Milk filters used for more than four hours and poor drainage may contribute to the problem, he added.

“We haven’t seen many farms having SPC problems anymore; it’s pretty rare,” Bernal said.

The Lab Pasteurization Count (LPC) measures high levels of pasteurization- resistant bacteria in raw milk. While most of these bacteria aren’t known to be harmful to humans, it may impact the milk’s quality and shelf life, Bernal explained.

The LPC may be affected by poorly cleaned equipment such as tanks and pails. Worn rubber parts, including milk hoses and tubes, and improperly cleaned and sanitized teats and udders may also cause problems, he said. Producers may sometimes have a milk quality problem even if their system appears clean and they have few mastitis cases.

In those situations, Bernal suggested the possibility of dirty cows, or problems in cooling or with some of the equipment. Sampling, such as determining if the problem is in the lines or the tank, would help narrow the potential problem area, he said.