Strait said that when he visited the farm, his first stop was always at the milk filter. The dirty filter told him a lot about the practice of dairy products.

"If we have such a filter, what is the actual problem?" Strait asked, showing an image of a dirty milk filter.

"The preparation of cows, the cleaning of free stalls, the cleaning of litter packaging... Your name... This is a clear sign of their performance in the factory," Strait said in Penn State Extension's "Optimizing Milk Quality Skills and Practice" said. "Whether you are milking a cow or thousands of cows, the milk filter can tell a lot."

In addition to dry litter and continuous removal of manure, maceration is also an important factor affecting milk quality. Strait recalled that he visited a problematic farm where the cows used the same bucket of iodine and a sponge to prepare the cows for milking. Strait recommends using foaming agents as standard practice.

"I really like foaming agents," he said. "It really fits the pacifier. I really like those on every farm we've been to," he said.

Nipple dipping is really important. Strait emphasizes the need to pay attention to both before and after dipping, because for the most effective, three-quarters of the nipple should be completely covered.

"We always do a paper towel test... a simple test. Once they dip the nipples, take the paper towels and go around the nipples, it should be moist left and right, not dry in the middle," he said.

Farmers still have simple and cheap ways to improve cleanliness. For example, something as simple as putting on new gloves can help.

"Many dairy farmers still do not use milking gloves. This is a very cheap way to fight pollution and can prevent the spread of bacteria between cows. This is easy to do... This is a very cheap method. Band-aids ensure that we will not contaminate anything," he said.

Using individual cow information collected from testing and cultivation is always the way to detect and prevent larger problems. Mas-D-Tec is an electronic handheld tool for detecting mastitis, and the California Mastitis Test (CMT) board can also help diagnose.

"We always want them to use (CMT paddles) three to four days after they are fresh, because then we can find out the condition of the cows and treat them if needed," he said.