Milk is the core of dairy farms. It is the primary product, and the reason why dairy farms exist. The harvesting of milk is one of the most critical jobs on a farm that happens two to three times a day, on average. The consistency of a milking routine affects cows’ health and productivity and is essential to optimizing production and reducing mastitis. The success of this milking routine and resulting milk quality relies heavily on the dairy employees.
Training employees on a dairy is vital for the safety and well-being of both the animals and employees, as well as animal productivity and milk quality. Unfortunately, training and re-training processes on farms can sometimes be overlooked or ineffective. Ineffectiveness of a training program may be due to a language barrier, high employee turnover rate, or a range of learning styles and educational backgrounds.
A study published in the Journal of Dairy Science Communications (Alanis et al., 2022), surveyed 95 milkers from 15 commercial dairy farms in Northern New York. Of the milkers surveyed, 83% said that they received training when they first started the position but had not received any training in more than 6 months. Initial training is important for obvious reasons, but regular retraining helps employees stay up to date and gives them an opportunity to learn more, which in turn can help with employee retention. In this same survey, 67% of the milkers said they were initially provided milking equipment training, but 59% of the milkers received this training from another milker. While it isn’t realistic for farm owners and managers to always be available to provide training, it’s important that trainers are aware of the procedures and expectations. Having current employees train new employees can often lead to protocol drift, which unfortunately happens frequently on dairies.
On-farm training may not always be practical or efficient, and for this reason the researchers in this study designed and tested an e-learning training course for dairy farm milkers and received feedback. The training was an interactive course that covered the basics of milking equipment and was offered in English or Spanish. The course consisted of 5 modules in total, with the whole course taking users about 30-40 minutes to complete. All 95 milkers in the study completed the training, however only 57 milkers completed the post course survey. Of those that did complete the post course survey, 95% of them said that they feel able to check milking equipment for problems, and 86% of them said they were confident in reporting a problem to their manager. While more research is needed to determine the effectiveness of online training courses for farms, this could supplement or be an alternative way the dairy industry trains employees.
Regardless of how training is done it has an impact. A study recently released in the “Articles in the Press” section of the Journal of Dairy Science (Rodriguez et al. 2024) measured the impact of a training session on the milking routine and its impact on udder health and milk quality. The study was conducted on 9 farms in Michigan and 7 farms in Ohio, with a total of 112 employees participating in the training. On the first visit, all farms were observed during milking for about 2 hours to identify areas of improvement. During the second visit, milkers received training. On the final visit 21 days later, the milkers were again evaluated at the same time of day and for the same duration as the first visit. Pre- and post-training evaluations were conducted to determine the change in knowledge and behavior. Data on clinical mastitis cases and bulk tank somatic cell were also obtained as a measure of milk quality. Following the training, observers saw improvements in knowledge (68% of questions answered correctly after trained vs 49% before; P < 0.001), an increase in pre-milking disinfectant contact time (P < 0.001), an increase in adequate lag time (P < 0.001), and a reduction of milking time by 25 seconds (P = 0.04). Immediately after the training, there was a significant increase in clinical mastitis cases (P = 0.001), suggesting an improvement in mastitis identification. Additionally, the previously upward trend of bulk tank somatic cell count was found to have shifted to a downward trend after training.
Effective training of dairy farm employees is crucial for optimal milking routines, animal health, and milk quality. Whether through in-person training or innovative methods like e-learning courses, regular and well-structured training will help to improve employees’ skills and confidence, which in turn leads to better overall farm performance. Ensuring that training programs are consistent, accessible, and tailored to the needs of all employees will contribute to the long-term success of a dairy farm.
— Emily Bourdeau