DFO puts milk transportation under the microscope

Tuesday, June 5, 2012

In an effort to determine what the milk transportation should be like 20 years from now, Dairy Farmers of Ontario is looking at everything from laneways to loading areas, milk house design to electrical and water supply

by SUSAN MANN

Dairy Farmers of Ontario (DFO) has started a massive review of how it moves raw milk from farms to processing plants that will see standards being developed for everything from milk house design to wireless communications for trucks.

The project is designed "to determine what the milk transportation system should be like in 20 years," it says in DFO's report called "Transportation Roadmap for the Future," presented to delegates at DFO policy conference held in March. The idea would also be to identify milestones that must be reached so the 20-year vision can be accomplished. DFO says the transportation roadmap is needed to ensure it can control costs and continue providing high quality milk for an increasingly demanding market.

During the past 25 years, when converted to 2011 dollars, the cost of transportation in Ontario has decreased by 28.3 per cent.  But continually evolving transportation improvements have caused frustration for farmers and DFO is trying to remove some of that friction by including standardized milk house designs in what they're calling the "Milk House of the Future," a tool to help farmers plan for the long term, the report says. It will outline what future requirements will be for milk houses so farmers can incorporate them when doing renovations.

Ben Loewith, chair of Progressive Dairy Operators, welcomes the study but notes that any standardized designs for milk houses should be backed up with numbers outlining the efficiencies gained from farmers making changes. The numbers don't need to be included in the document but should be made available for farmers to see. (The Progressive Dairy Operators group works to provide producer education on leading edge technology.)  

As part of the review, working groups comprised of farmers, staff, transporters and other stakeholders, have been set up to look at: laneways; loading areas on farms; milk house equipment, construction, design and layout (including items such as concrete specifications); electrical considerations (including ground fault circuits that are often currently lacking on farms); water supply (including clearly defining requirements for water hardness and temperature); truck communications and equipment (including higher capacity pumps and larger diameter hoses); biosecurity; and standard operating procedures for washing trucks.

Brian Johnson, DFO manager of measurement and technical support, says they're looking at everything from the farm to the processing plant door. "We're always looking for improvements. This just happens to be a more concerted and much more planned effort."

A comprehensive document will be completed by the end of this year and go to the board for review and decisions, he says.

When it comes to moving raw milk from farms to processing plants, the report says, "one of the most glaring deficiencies is a lack of standardization throughout the entire supply chain."

And while the organization can develop standards for farmers and transporters, it has limited or no authority to implement changes at processing facilities since the provincial agriculture ministry is responsible for them. "For the most part, DFO relies on its good relationship with processors and persuasion to bring about changes at receiving facilities," the report says.

Loewith says the study should include the processors' end, too. "The same trucks that are picking up from the farm are then dropping off at the processors, so you have to make sure the study is not completely one-sided."

He agrees that DFO doesn't have authority to impose changes on processors, but "there are some changes that make sense from the producer standpoint and if the processors don't agree to it, then it becomes a moot point."

DFO's report says the project began as a "purely transportation related exercise," but has been expanded to include areas covering raw milk quality. "The driving force behind this was the desire to provide producers with one document that will give a clear and comprehensive picture of what the future expectations and requirements are for milk houses."

The intention is that new farmers and newly constructed milk houses will have to meet any new requirements while existing farmers will have a comprehensive plan spanning 20 years or longer to help them when making decisions on their farms.

Part of the discussion involves the question of whether DFO should partly or completely fund minor changes at the farm, such as standardized bulk tank outlets and valves.

Representatives from the Ontario Milk Transport Association couldn't be reached for comment. BF