Make Sure Milkers Know the 3 P's

Hot humid weather will soon be upon us and with it will come all the tormenting issues relating to milk quality. Many of these issues are management related and can be remedied with some good common sense, while others unfortunate will require reaching into our back pocket. It is a battle for the dairyman to remain financially solvent in these roller coaster milk pricing scenarios. Milk premiums play a huge role in the profit/loss margins for the dairyman today, especially for those individuals that produce truck loads at a time.

Issues affecting these premiums are but not limited to:
    1. Inadequate cooling capacities
    2. Dirty equipment due to malfunctioning milking or cooling equipment
    3. Lack adequate hot water and/or cleaning chemicals.
    4. Improper udder preparation
    5. Inadequate milker training
We will deal with the last two in more detail.  Progressive dairies are realizing the importance and value of an in depth intensive milker training or workshop on your farm. Any size dairy can benefit from this. The most important thing you can emphasize to your milkers is this: YOU HAVE THE MOST IMPORTANT JOB ON THIS FARM!!! You simply cannot emphasize this enough! We will describe how the benefits of a milking workshop works and what it will accomplish with the “3Ps.”

1. Purpose.
- Opens the door for better communications between the owners and the milkers
- Communicates to the milkers what is expected of them - Everyone gets on the “same page”, especially with any language barriers and people milking in different shifts. It is highly recommended that a translator is brought in if necessary. It should not be assumed that domestic or immigrant workers have farming or dairy experience.
- Explain in detail WHY you do the things you do or not do: i.e. wearing gloves, why do we fore strip, why we do not yell or beat cows etc

2. Process.
- The dairy owner must first establish what his or her Systems of Operation or “SOPs” are for his own dairy. This will vary from farm to farm. There are people to help you organize these SOPs.
- The goal is then to implement these SOPs with the milkers and the other people involved on your team.
- Avoid dictating or commandeering the process. Instead make it interactive with your milkers. There must be two way communications for this to be effective. Employees like to be “let in on things”.
- Sometimes it is more effective to bring someone from the outside in. The milkers may be more receptive to this person then someone they see everyday.
- Post the process in a visible place for the milkers to be reminded of as well as to reference it later.

3. Payoff
The ultimate goal is to enjoy these benefits: higher quality milk, better milk letdown, faster milking or throughput, less tea damage and healthier udders, less hospital cows and of course the obvious, more bottom line profits.

A typical workshop would work like this:
• After consulting with the owner, the instructor will come to your farm and usually do a classroom session first. There may be a Power Point presentation or other interactive exercises done. This is where the SOPs are discussed as well as good milking practices.
• These might include: how does cow letdown work, 2 cow prep vs. whole group prep, how to detect different signs of mastitis, to strip or not to strip, oxytocin yes or no, what are PI and SPC Counts etc. Informative publications are left with the milkers to be referenced later. These are available in English or Spanish.
• From there, we go into the parlor for live cow side training. Everyone is handed a stopwatch and the procedures are explained in greater detail.
• There are many testimonies from dairymen who have experienced new levels of satisfaction and whole new attitudes from the dairy milkers! There are numerous people offering this service. Give it your serious consideration for a profitable future. Remember your milkers have the “Most Important Job on the Farm”.

Fisher & Thompson partners with Ecolab representative Bob Snow to conduct milker workshops. For more information contact Fisher & Thompson at 717-656-3307.

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Amos Fisher, Fisher & Thompson Incorporated