Milk Quality & Safety

There are several steps farmers take to ensure milk has a fresh, safe start before continuing on the journey to be delicious dairy products. There are milk handling basics every farm follows:

• Milk is never touched by human hands. Milk from cows moves from the milking machine through sterilized equipment into a holding tank.
• A cooling system rapidly chills the milk down to about 38 degrees, which preserves its freshness.
• Every single tank of milk is tested for quality and safety.
• After the milk leaves the farm, every tanker is tested at the Darigold production facility prior to unloading for the most commonly used antibiotics. Any milk that tests positive cannot be sold to the public.
• Pasteurization is an essential tool for ensuring that milk and dairy products are safe.

• Northwest Dairy Association farmers adhere to the national F.A.R.M. antibiotic stewardship program. Basic best practices for using antibiotics safely, per the label, and following withdrawal periods before a cow can reenter the milking herd after treatment are strictly followed.
• Milk from sick cows under antibiotic treatment does not enter the milk supply, it is discarded.
• Every tanker of milk is tested prior to unloading at a Darigold plant to confirm there are no traces of antibiotics present. Testing before the milk is off loaded ensures contaminated milk does not enter the plant.
•  There are stiff financial penalties and farms run the risk of losing their license to produce if they ship milk that tests positive for antibiotics.

In 2006, all Northwest Dairy Association farms decided to forgo the use of FDA approved rbST, a synthetic hormone that helps cows produce more milk. While thoroughly tested over 20 years and found to be completely safe, we chose to provide the rbST-free choices dairy shoppers were seeking.