If you ve ever needed a reason to spend more time and money on hygiene and cleanliness in the cow barn, here s one – dairy farmer Jim Davenport says it leads to higher quality milk.
Davenport, a New York dairy farmer who sits on the board of the National Mastitis Council, presented a webinar called Clean Cows Make Clean Milk with Hoard s Dairyman magazine Monday, March 8. Producing milk since 1986, Davenport said cow cleanliness is of the utmost importance at his operation, Tollgate Farm.
Davenport s operation, Tollgate Holsteins, has won the National Mastitis Council s Dairy Quality Award more times than any other dairy in the nation. The Davenport s milk 64 Holsteins and Aryshires in a tie stall barn and sells milk for Class I and Class II products (fluid milk, and yogurt, sour cream and ice cream).