Pilot Success ushers in New Milk Quality Training Programme
A successful industry pilot for a new milk quality training programme, carried out by Agriculture ITO in partnership with Fonterra, has paved the way for a full nationwide launch of the course “Licence to Milkâ€Â.
The voluntary training programme – with modules for both farm workers and supervisors – is designed to raise on-farm awareness about the importance of milk quality and provide practical advice and skills development.
Agriculture ITO business manager, pastoral, Claire Chapman said a pilot of the programme earlier this year met with overwhelmingly positive feedback from participants, who recognised the value of the skills and the potential for direct payback from reducing milk quality penalties.
Ms Chapman said Licence to Milk was a direct outcome of Agriculture ITO’s strategic engagement with its stakeholders and the drive to ensure transfer of industry best practice. She said Fonterra played a key role in developing the programme to support the company’s own initiatives to maintain milk quality at the highest possible levels.
The programme’s teaching resources were put together by Katrina Knowles, a dairy farmer and moderator for Agriculture ITO, with the support of Fonterra’s milk quality team.
Fonterra’s Milk Supply Food Safety Manager, Roger Andela, said the goal was to establish a benchmark for on-farm milk quality practices and to take a more proactive approach to managing milk quality.
“While we will continue to offer suppliers advice on addressing any milk quality issues they might have, this programme aims to minimise the possibility of problems occurring in the first place.
“We believe there is a real incentive for farm managers and owners to encourage their staff to attend the Licence to Milk programme. This will help provide an assurance in a crucial area of their business that can have a direct impact on payout.â€Â
Staff who have completed the course will be in a position to make more informed decisions with less supervision, have the opportunity to use their knowledge to reduce the chances of grading, and have more pride and confidence in their daily tasks.
Ms Chapman said the programme will be available to all dairy farm staff – not only Fonterra suppliers – and people seeking employment in the dairy industry. Enrolments are being taken now for courses to run in the off-season, the aim being to encourage the highest number of farm staff to attend. Courses would continue through the normal milking season, she said.
The voluntary training programme – with modules for both farm workers and supervisors – is designed to raise on-farm awareness about the importance of milk quality and provide practical advice and skills development.
Agriculture ITO business manager, pastoral, Claire Chapman said a pilot of the programme earlier this year met with overwhelmingly positive feedback from participants, who recognised the value of the skills and the potential for direct payback from reducing milk quality penalties.
Ms Chapman said Licence to Milk was a direct outcome of Agriculture ITO’s strategic engagement with its stakeholders and the drive to ensure transfer of industry best practice. She said Fonterra played a key role in developing the programme to support the company’s own initiatives to maintain milk quality at the highest possible levels.
The programme’s teaching resources were put together by Katrina Knowles, a dairy farmer and moderator for Agriculture ITO, with the support of Fonterra’s milk quality team.
Fonterra’s Milk Supply Food Safety Manager, Roger Andela, said the goal was to establish a benchmark for on-farm milk quality practices and to take a more proactive approach to managing milk quality.
“While we will continue to offer suppliers advice on addressing any milk quality issues they might have, this programme aims to minimise the possibility of problems occurring in the first place.
“We believe there is a real incentive for farm managers and owners to encourage their staff to attend the Licence to Milk programme. This will help provide an assurance in a crucial area of their business that can have a direct impact on payout.â€Â
Staff who have completed the course will be in a position to make more informed decisions with less supervision, have the opportunity to use their knowledge to reduce the chances of grading, and have more pride and confidence in their daily tasks.
Ms Chapman said the programme will be available to all dairy farm staff – not only Fonterra suppliers – and people seeking employment in the dairy industry. Enrolments are being taken now for courses to run in the off-season, the aim being to encourage the highest number of farm staff to attend. Courses would continue through the normal milking season, she said.