Best Practices for Milking Routines on Dairy Farms

In 2015, the National Dairy Study was conducted in Canada to identify key management and disease issues in the dairy industry. Using this information, a priorities assessment was established to understand the needs of the industry in order to focus research, program and policy efforts. DRECA will be incorporating results from this expansive study into research extension conversations, starting with best milking practices. One of the cornerstones of the dairy industry is maintaining excellent levels of milk quality and food safety as well as providing exceptional care and welfare to our animals. Best milking practices have been established to help producers maintain and improve milk quality and prevent and manage mastitis on farm. In this month’s conversation, DRECA explored which practices are and are not being used and why it is important to follow best milking practices on both farms with conventional parlours and robots.

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The first research summary for this month is an introduction to the National Dairy Study, which was used to establish the top management and top disease priorities for the Canadian dairy industry. The second research summary focuses on results from the National Dairy Study involving best milking practices. Specifically, what proportion of producers are using best milking practices and the most and least common practices found on farm.

6.8 NATIONAL DAIRY STUDY PRIORITIES (June 2020)

The National Dairy Study was conducted to establish management and disease priorities in the Canadian dairy industry.

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6.9 MILKING PRACTICES (June 2020)

How widely are recommended milking practices implemented on Canadian dairy farms.

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