Low fpd

[betweenthelines]

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But both @Tim G and @Princess Pooper have had samples straight from the cow test at 509? That's half a pint of water in if a cow gives 15l at that milking! The test is clearly wrong!

I'd like to see a Court uphold the deductions as the processors are clearly unable to prove excess water has been added

As for a bulk sample, 0.5 ml of moisture (eg damp sample jar) in a 50 ml sample would give a "failure"

 

[Ducati899]

Back last year the auto sampler wasn’t working and the driver couldn’t reach in tank to take a sample as he realised to late so never took a sample,next day I had a payment test result come through with a FPD of 475 that result soon got removed after a stern phone call

 

[Tim G]

Back last year the auto sampler wasn’t working and the driver couldn’t reach in tank to take a sample as he realised to late so never took a sample,next day I had a payment test result come through with a FPD of 475 that result soon got removed after a stern phone call

Perhaps he filled the pot with some carton milk when he stopped for a brew.....

 

[Sid]

But both @Tim G and @Princess Pooper have had samples straight from the cow test at 509? That's half a pint of water in if a cow gives 15l at that milking! The test is clearly wrong!

I'd like to see a Court uphold the deductions as the processors are clearly unable to prove excess water has been added

As for a bulk sample, 0.5 ml of moisture (eg damp sample jar) in a 50 ml sample would give a "failure"

Analysis of a milk sample for FPD that has a preservative tablet in can give false reading.

It has to be done with fresh cool samples asap

 

[betweenthelines]

Analysis of a milk sample for FPD that has a preservative tablet in can give false reading.

It has to be done with fresh cool samples asap

Why does it have to be a "fresh cool sample" ? Water percentage will not vary with temp or age of sample (unless you boil it!)

 

[Sid]

Why does it have to be a "fresh cool sample" ? Water percentage will not vary with temp or age of sample (unless you boil it!)

Because of the accreditation of the lab samples have to be standard samples.

I asked the question about sampling individual cows.

Lactose levels effected by energy shortage surplus of cows also affects individual cows FPDs as well.

As with all things natural it's all a bit non specific.

 

[Tim G]

Analysis of a milk sample for FPD that has a preservative tablet in can give false reading.

It has to be done with fresh cool samples asap

My samples were taken in the morning, cooled and sent to NML that afternoon who sampled them the next morning. I don't use pots with preservative for our own sampling.

 

[Sid]

My samples were taken in the morning, cooled and sent to NML that afternoon who sampled them the next morning. I don't use pots with preservative for our own sampling.

Was there any correlation between stage of lactation ,energy balance and cows FPD

 

[Tim G]

As with all things natural it's all a bit non specific.

Which then goes back to the original point of getting deductions for it, if its non specific.

 

[Tim G]

Was there any correlation between stage of lactation ,energy balance and cows FPD

To be honest, I haven't looked into it much more as I was so annoyed at doing all the samples for them to be tested for the wrong thing. I'll see if later I can list the fpd against days in milk and post it up.

 

[Sid]

Which then goes back to the original point of getting deductions for it, if its non specific.

Yes and no.

It does show water but that can be for numerous reasons.

 

[Princess Pooper]

Analysis of a milk sample for FPD that has a preservative tablet in can give false reading.

It has to be done with fresh cool samples asap

These were fresh samples, no preservative, put in our fridge, then taken to the dairy as soon as milking finished and taken straight to fridge at dairy to go with the payment test boxes to NML for that day. This was in July 2020. If the theory is that heat stressed cows gorge on water when they come in for milking and this is what lowers FPD (which is what we are advised) then our cows appear to be gorging before morning milking. But the current issues some folks are having are nothing to do with heat stress it has not been hot enough.

We sampled bulk (early on and later on) in milking and then on the pm milking we had 20 individual cow samples, of which one was 501 and one was 509. On the am milking of (the same) 20 cow samples, 5 were below 509 (lowest was 502). A cow that was 525 in the evening was 503 in the morning. Another, 521, 504, and several others similar. Other cows had identical (516/518) readings day and night.

Whatever the reasons, people are being penalised for milk equivalent to that which comes straight out of a cow.

 

[betweenthelines]

Yes and no.

It does show water but that can be for numerous reasons.

Back in the days of churns, the farmer had to send a ticket with each churn that it was "pure, fresh milk"

Don't know what today's contracts say, but to me, milk straight from the cow is as pure and fresh as you can get.

Farmers are being fined for "extra" water in the milk when there isn't any.

If I was still milking, I'd be phoning my solicitor if the NFU refused to do anything.

You don't get fined for speeding just because a policeman says "it looks like you were going a bit fast"

You shouldn't get fined for adding water when there's no evidence you did!

 

[Sid]

Back in the days of churns, the farmer had to send a ticket with each churn that it was "pure, fresh milk"

Don't know what today's contracts say, but to me, milk straight from the cow is as pure and fresh as you can get.

Farmers are being fined for "extra" water in the milk when there isn't any.

If I was still milking, I'd be phoning my solicitor if the NFU refused to do anything.

You don't get fined for speeding just because a policeman says "it looks like you were going a bit fast"

You shouldn't get fined for adding water when there's no evidence you did!

The legal "test" as per contract states a FPD level.
This is set by the customer, and trading standards.

If the result say FPD is low than extenous water could be present.

It's like saying well the cows milk is natural with her butterfat at 3% no matter what the contract says!

 

[Jdunn55]

Thanks everyone, nice to know it's not just me doing something wrong! Once theyve been milked theres plenty of troughs for the number I'm milking, any more and I might have to look into getting some more.

As for the field theres only a trough in the gateway as it is normally just a silage field with maybe some heifers running on the whole field later in the year. This could obviously be improved if necessary but as its normally a silage field I'm hesitant to spend too much money having said that I am considering atleast a second trough.

I've just come off the phone with my milk buyer who has said theres nothing they can do in regards to waiving the fee but in fairness she is trying to help me. Shes suggested doing more sampling at different times of the day and doing more samples as well as before and after milking etc and I suggested doing samples straight from the cow too which shes fine with. My nutritionist has suggested that it may have come from a lack of chloride in the diet and could try adding granular sodium chloride in addition to the rock salt to try and improve things.

My only other suggestion is changing milking times quite drastically. Instead of milking at 6am and 4pm like present, milking at 9am and 9pm but bringing them in earlier and letting them just eat some silage and drink in the yard for 2-3 hours in order to let any water they drink 'settle' if you see what I mean? Would this work?!
Thanks again everyone

 

[dairydurham]

Thanks everyone, nice to know it's not just me doing something wrong! Once theyve been milked theres plenty of troughs for the number I'm milking, any more and I might have to look into getting some more.

As for the field theres only a trough in the gateway as it is normally just a silage field with maybe some heifers running on the whole field later in the year. This could obviously be improved if necessary but as its normally a silage field I'm hesitant to spend too much money having said that I am considering atleast a second trough.

I've just come off the phone with my milk buyer who has said theres nothing they can do in regards to waiving the fee but in fairness she is trying to help me. Shes suggested doing more sampling at different times of the day and doing more samples as well as before and after milking etc and I suggested doing samples straight from the cow too which shes fine with. My nutritionist has suggested that it may have come from a lack of chloride in the diet and could try adding granular sodium chloride in addition to the rock salt to try and improve things.

My only other suggestion is changing milking times quite drastically. Instead of milking at 6am and 4pm like present, milking at 9am and 9pm but bringing them in earlier and letting them just eat some silage and drink in the yard for 2-3 hours in order to let any water they drink 'settle' if you see what I mean? Would this work?!
Thanks again everyone

Definetely more related to saline concentration than excess water

 

[lazy farmer]

Is it worth doing a milking or 2 without the plate cooler ?

 

[Jdunn55]

Is it worth doing a milking or 2 without the plate cooler ?

Can only try? You wondering if that could be leaking or something?

 

[organicguy]

Just had a 505 and 507 !
Watching with interest.

 

[lazy farmer]

Can only try? You wondering if that could be leaking or something?

I am.
if I’m right it will be obvious.
We had a bacto problem for a month last yr. in Desperation i milked without it for one milking and although I had an issue cool8ng the milk before the lorry came(maybe speak to them first) it was well worth it my bacto halved and my sanity was saved.
Its certainly one thing I would be trying to eliminate beforegetting into conspiracy theories.