Milk Testing 101

To test your cow's milk, you'll need a few items. You will need sterile collection vials, ice packs, and where and how much to send out. 

We have found buying in bulk is a bit more economical (as we do a lot of testing).

• 50 ML Sterile Vials we get 30 (thirty) for $15 from Amazon. Here is the link.
• Ice packs. These are really cool, because they are dry, and flat, you soak them, and freeze, without taking any freezer space longterm. Get 48 for $15 on Amazon, Here is the link.
• We buy Styrofoam coolers from Dollar Tree, and fit the cooler, in a box, to ship milk. We also re-use Amazon boxes. 🤣🙈

Whether you milk one cow for your own consumption or five (plus) cows for the public, be it herdshares or pets milk. We believe everyone should test not only their cows for diseases,  but also the quality of the milk. 

Diseases cows should be tested for at minimum  BLV, BVD, & Johnes. Other tests you can run on your cow(s) are Q-fever, TB, & Brucellosis. 

We test our cows yearly.

We believe disease testing the cows is our obligation to our clients, what we test for:

• BLV (Bovine Leukosis Virus). Is a retrovirus, that supposedly affects 45% of all cows.
• BVD (Bovine Viral Diarrhea) is a highly contagious disease that affects cattle and other ruminants. It's caused by the bovine viral diarrhea virus (BVDV), a pestivirus in the Flaviviridae family.
• Johnes Disease (pronounced jaanz) also known as paratuberculosis, is a chronic, contagious, and usually fatal infection of the small intestine in cattle and other ruminants.
• Q-fever, caused by the bacteria Coxiella burnetii, is a disease that can infect most animals, including cows, sheep, and goats. In cows, Q fever can cause abortions and stillbirths, but infected animals usually don't appear sick.

There are over 1000's of tests you can run on raw milk. Let's keep it simple. Testing milk gives you a view on the overall health of your cow's udder. 

• SCC (somatic cell count) measures the number of white blood cells in milk per milliliter. An SCC of 100K per 1 ML of milk or less indicates an uninfected cow. 
• SPC (Somatic  Plate Count), is the measure of the total number of aerobic bacteria in the milk. This test is to determine the cleanliness of the milking equipment. The goal is to stay under 25K per 1ML of milk. 
• TCC (Total Coliform Count) A high number in a coliform count in raw milk indicates the degree of contamination in production through unsanitary practices or conditions. 

There are a few places you can send your milk to. We like Microbial Research, Inc. They're the most economical we've found. Click here for their Raw Milk Services Page. 

There are many labs that can run the above mentioned disease teats. These are just a few that we have personally used.

• Udder Health (Website)
• Texas A&M University (website)
• Central Star (website)

This is a quick SCC milk test. We love these dip sticks. They have been very accurate plus we have results in 2 minutes. We test each cow (all quarters into 1 vial ) every day before milking. If we get an elevated result, we then test each quarter individually, allowing us to single out the affected/infected quarter, and treat accordingly.

These come with 50 dip sticks for $30, on Amazon.

If you still need direction, or have questions, feel free ro reach out to Christina Hayes.