QUALITY WATCH

What makes MMPA’s marketability outstanding?

WE ASKED THE EXPERTS:

Dean Letter

MMPA Member Services Director

MMPA’s Quality Award Program is split into three levels: Bronze, Silver and Gold. During this year’s local meeting season, MMPA awarded 246 Bronze awards, 52 Silver awards and 30 Gold awards. These farms represent approximately 48 percent of the MMPA membership. Additionally, MMPA member representatives nominate members for the National Dairy Quality Awards who go above and beyond to produce exceptional quality milk through exemplary sanitation and animal care. Look to Hoard’s Dairyman this month for recognition of this year’s winners. The flavor, texture and shelf life of your favorite dairy products are attributed in part to the quality of the milk produced on the farm. There is nothing a dairy processing plant can do to improve the quality of the raw milk coming into their facility. While raw milk quality is not the only criteria used by dairy processors when sourcing ingredients, it is one of the key criteria suppliers have at their disposal to get their foot in the door to have conversations and develop the supplier relationships that return value to dairy farmers. The last two years saw supply chain and labor disruptions like the industry has not seen in many years. Congratulations to our member farms who continue to produce exceptional quality milk amid the mounting challenges of the past two years.

Ben Chapin

MMPA Field Services Manager

Congratulations to this year’s group of quality award winners! The dedication of MMPA’s membership to milk quality is second to none in the industry. From the membership’s commitment to animal care, to their attention to the details at their farms, MMPA members continue to produce some the best quality in the country. Your MMPA field staff are also dedicated to support the membership in these efforts through the services it provides. MMPA has a trained staff to assist members in improving quality. Members have access to their own lab at our home office in Novi, Michigan, that provides multiple tests for quality and components. The field staff are excellent resources to troubleshoot wash and vacuum systems, review housing facilities and system designs, and provide on farm milking training schools. MMPA’s Dairy Care Academy is a great resource for training in milker training, stockmanship and calf raising, and helps provide the documented trainings needed through the FARM program. This training will be available in a few in-person classes this upcoming winter and spring, as well as available online. Thank you to the membership for another great year of outstanding quality!

Brad Crandall

MMPA Member

At Crandall Dairy Farms LLC in Battle Creek, Michigan, elite milk quality is our measuring stick. Weekly and monthly lab reports help our team stay on course, and winning quality awards helps motivate us. We have learned through the years that milk quality is the result of focusing on the finer details of animal care. Our dedicated staff of experienced full-time employees understand that being the best they can be every day is key to our competitiveness in the dairy business. While 350 cows can be a challenging size in some ways, it allows our key people to participate in a multitude of areas of the operation. They have a great understanding of the interconnectedness of everything that goes into healthy animals and quality milk. In the parlor we have learned not to cut corners in any way. We hand strip all cows, use a 1% iodine pre-dip and dry udders with individual microfiber towels that are washed and completely dried. Cows are post-dipped with Ecolab Artec year-round with Thrifty Dippers. We have a streak of five straight national quality awards and six straight MMPA gold quality awards. Thank you to Stacey Koyl, Thomas Wagner and Kelley Wagner, as well as our part-time staff and industry partners that make our success possible.