Effects of premilking udder preparation on environmental bacterial contamination of milk.

Premilking udder preparations varied wetness and cleanliness of udders and teats at machine attachment. In Experiment I, in a prep stall with manual drying of teats only, udder surface drainage during milking increased standard plate counts compared to preparations with dryer udder surfaces at machine attachment. In Experiment 2, use of prep stall only and no udder and teat preparation had higher standard plate counts than preparations by prep stall with manual drying of udder and teats and by wet paper towels in wetting and cleaning and dry paper towels in drying teats. No preparation of udder and teats had higher standard plate count attributed to soiled teats at machine attachment. Udder surfaces should be dry, and teats should be clean and dry at machine attachment. Premilking udder preparations can affect milk quality as measured by milk bacterial count.