General News
6 August, 2020
Dixie dairy farmers feature in 2020 Milk Quality Awards
LOCAL dairy farmers producing Australia’s best quality milk have been rewarded.
LOCAL dairy farmers producing Australia’s best quality milk have been rewarded.
Dairy Australia’s 2020 Milk Quality Awards were announced last week, with multiple farms across the western district receiving recognition.
The awards recognise farmers producing the country’s best milk based on bulk milk cell count (BMCC).
Data is supplied by dairy companies to Dairy Australia to determine the Milk Quality Awards.
To be eligible, dairy farms must have data for a minimum of nine months in a calendar year with monthly averages then used to calculate the annual average BMCC for each farm.
The awards recognise two categories – gold and silver.
Gold awards are given to the ‘Top 100’ dairy farmers nationally for milk quality, and along with the silver award winners, these farmers are in the top five per cent 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,” he said.
“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.”
Dixie dairy farmers Lex and Rachael Moloney were among the contingent of farmers from western Victoria to receive a gold award.
The pair has been back on Lex’s family farm for the last six years and have invested heavily in their operation.
They have nearly doubled their cow numbers from 280 to a 500 strong, autumn calving herd, while they have also placed a strong focus on herd health, investment in infrastructure and a consistent approach to mastitis management.
Their approach has paid dividends and enabled their milk to remain in the top band for milk quality after years of multiple silver awards.
Lex was thrilled to receive the recognition and said he enjoying “taking pride in what we do and in the quality of the product we produced”.