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DHI Milk Testing

Does Milk Testing seem super complicated and hard to understand?
Are you having trouble finding information on where to begin the process?

 This year we decided to dive in and do our first year of milk testing our does with the help of  a couple local breeders. We thought we would share what we learn along the way and hopefully it will make Milk Testing easier for others who want to begin with their herds. 

Begin by answering a couple questions:

What Type of Milk Test (Record Plan) is best for my herd?
 

How many does do I plan to test?

 

What Dairy Records Processing Center (DRPC) will I use?

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WA State DHI works with a couple of DRPC:

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Do I want to become a certified milk tester or do I know a tester who can come test my herd?

 

Where do I get a Herd Code?
 

What type of scale do I want to purchase and from where?

  • The scale must weigh to the tenths of a pound

  • ​DHIA has a list of Certified Scale Centers on their website

 

List of DHI approved scales

  • WA State DHIA allows you to purchase a scale on Amazon and have it sent   

      directly to DHIA

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What are the milk, butterfat and protein requirements to earn a Milk Star?

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Scale

Tester

DHIA

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ADGA Frequently Asked Questions
Milk Testing instructions and forms are full of Acronyms that can be confusing at first. Here is a list of a few acronym definitions that will help you better understand the process.

OS: Owner Sampler
VT: Verification Test
AR: Advanced Registry
*M: Milk Star (number in-front indicates number of generations of continues milk stars)
ST: Meets minimum requirements for One Day Milk Test, OS or prodigy/pedigree
DHI: Dairy Herd Improvement
DHIA: Dairy Heard Improvement Association
DHIR: Dairy Herd Improvement Registry
DRPC: Dairy Records Processing Center
LAC: Number of lactations

D/AV: Daughter Averages
FRESH: Freshening date of this lactation
DIM: How many days a doe was in milk for a previous lactation or how many days currently in milk
HERD: The herd code for the doe during a lactation
CTRLNO: The doe's Animal Control Number within a herd

# Milk: DHIR report of Milk (in pounds) produced by a doe

# Pro: DHIR report of Protein (in pounds) produced by a doe

# Fat: DHIR report of Fat (in pounds) produced by a doe

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Milk Testing Supplies

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