Dairy farmers producing Australia’s best quality milk have been named in Dairy Australia’s 2020 Milk Quality Awards.
The awards recognise farmers producing the country’s best milk based on bulk milk cell count (BMCC). Gold Awards are given to the ‘Top 100’ dairy farmers nationally for milk quality. Together with Silver Awards winners, these farmers are the top 5% of Australian producers for milk quality.
Dairy Australia Managing Director Dr David Nation congratulated the 2020 winners. “The industry can take pride in the achievement of all winners of these awards. Getting to this level takes consistent focus across the year on all aspects of the milking process, including effective mastitis control and maintaining a high level of attention to detail. This dedication underpins the high quality of Australian dairy products.”
A focus on low BMCC helps increase milk yields and can improve the milk income received by farmers. Most processing companies pay a premium for milk with a BMCC below 250,000 cells/ml and Dairy Australia analysis estimates that a farmer milking 300 cows who lowers their BMCC from 250,000 to 100,000 would be financially better off to the tune of $39,000 per year.
Source:
https://www.dairyaustralia.com.au/news-repository/2020/08/27/australias-best-quality-milk-producers-named-in-top-100