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Fourth annual report, St. Croix Co. Agricultural Extension Service: Nov. 1, 1940--Oct. 31, 1941
(1941)
Dairy cattle improvement, pp. 8-12
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Page 11
quality Milk Program In putting on the Quality Milk prozrcun it was necessary to ask the cooperation of two or more farmers from each school dist- rict in the county to conduct the schoolhouse meetings. A county- wide meeting of plant operators and interested farmers was held on September 11. This group was heartily in favor of the program, and as a result, two leaders, training meetings wore hold on Sept- ember 17 and 18, at which time two farmers from each school district in the county were invited in and the Quality Milk program was ex- plained to them, and they were asked to go back to their respective communities and conduct an educational meeting for the farmers of their district. These schoolhouse meetings were held on September 23. At these schoolhouse meetings 60% of the farmers of the county attended. This certainly was a very satisfactory turnout. The purpose of the Quality Milk program vas not to go out and promote milk houses and other expensive equipment. The program is a part of a state-wide move to maintain its supremacy in the dairy world. A great deal has been done along the line of advertising dairy products and more must be done in the future. Considerable work has been done in packaiing cheese, in particular, so that e smell package of natural cheese can be offered the consumer in an attractive and practical sized package. Regardless of the advert- ising and the work the quality of the dairy products offered for sale must be maintained and improved. Vie well appreciate that probably 90% and more of our farmers are producing a quality prod- uct today. However, there are those farmers who still feel they can get by with an inferior product and as long as creameries and cheese factories are willing to accept that type of product they will continue to produce it. Certainly the plant operator does not want an inferior product, but he has hesitated on cramping down on quality because of a fear of losing patronage. We have put too much emphasis on volume, and as a result have sacrificed quality. In cooperating with other parts of the state, a quality for prod- ucts is now so that the farmer who is producing an inferior quality milk will find he has no outlet for his product. He in turn must meet the requirements for a quality product or refrain from offering for sale his inferior product. Sediment tests and M.ethylene Blue tests are now being run in all plants in the county on all milk taken into the plant. Ill cream is graded. A report is sent back to every farmer in the county. If the milk or cream does not meet requirements,:he is given a warning to that effect, and encouraged to improve his quality. The state inspector end the plant operators are interested in helping him meet the requirements. They are work- ing with him and giving him every assistance possible. If the farm- or is not interested then the plant operator and ins.ector have no alternative than to refuse to accept his milk or cream. Other plants are not allowed to tare on this customer until he has had a satisfactory release from the previous plant. In other words, there are no loop holes left so that the farmer must improve his quality to meet requirements, or he will have no market. Wo have had a great many fine bomplimunts on the program thus far and with the continued cooperation of our plant operators we feel that much is being done and can be done to improve the quality of dniry products 11
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