Look for the big blue dairy cow at the IPM

What's black and white but blue all over? That would be the blue cow of the Dairy Farmers of Canada, which is expected to make a big splash at the International Plowing Match (IPM) from September 20 to 24.

The blue cow logo, seen on dairy products made with 100-per-cent Canadian milk, will be featured prominently at an IPM exhibition tent on behalf of the Dairy Farmers of Canada and the Dairy Farmers of Ontario.

"We're hoping to emphasize and promote the blue cow since it promotes 100-per-cent Canadian products," explained Kelley Allen, of Allensite Farms in L'Orignal. "Whatever products we're selling there, our criteria is that it's a product with Canadian ingredients."

Some of the featured products include Gay Lea milk, Kawartha Dairy ice cream and Fromagerie St-Albert cheese.

Allen noted that Gay Lea will bring its mobile dairy museum to the tent, a trailer which features artifacts and displays about the dairy industry. In addition, the tent will feature MOOnica the Milking Cow, a life-size mechanical cow that you can actually milk.

"She'll be there every day of the match and adults or children can have a shot at milking the cow, and at the same time you'll learn a little bit more about dairy farming in Canada and our products," said Allen. "We're running [the booth] to raise some profit for local, promotional projects, which is part of the mandate of our committee. We want to make people aware of new products and remind them [the blue cow] is a symbol of quality."

As a reminder to consumers, he noted that any dairy processor that wants to use the blue cow logo has to use 100-per-cent Canadian products.

"It's standard, we want to have the logo as a branding of quality," noted Allen. "The program rolled out about two years ago. Before that, it was confusing; consumers think they're getting a quality product but very often, there wasn't any Canadian product at all - it was protein isolates or modified milk ingredients - which often meant it wasn't milk or cream they were using, but it was fractioned milk."

Certified Canadian-quality milk program

In line with the push for Canadian milk products, the Dairy Farmers of Canada is trying to establish a standard for dairy milk processors.

The organization developed the Canadian Quality Milk (CQM) program, an on-farm food safety program to help producers prevent and reduce food safety hazards and risks on their farms. Farmers themselves began developing the CQM program at the national level during the 1990s, instead of having one imposed on them by governments and processors - as was the case in other jurisdictions at that time.

"Processors wanted a certain standard as they were finding it difficult to control all aspects of their industries," Allen explained. "There was pressure for dairy farmers to have a quality standard like that.

"The frustrating part is that some processors are looking for lower-cost items, and they found they were able to use imported ingredients to lower their costs but display some of the natural ingredients and put them on the shelf. We were always trying to partner with them [...] at the same time, it's not always our products they're using."

Using the HACCP (Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points) approach, the CQM program asks dairy producers to monitor critical areas and implement best management practices to effectively cool and store milk; closely monitor the use of medicines and chemicals to prevent residues in milk; sanitize their equipment and make sure their wash water is clean; and safely transport their animals.

Monitoring such risks includes an emphasis on communication and record-keeping on the farm. Dairy producers are now among 20 agricultural sectors developing or implementing on-farm food safety programs in partnership with government.

"It's going to be mandatory that [dairy farmers] enroll in the program," Allen said. "To me, the CQM program goes hand-in-hand with the 100-per-cent Canadian milk program, so everybody meets that standard."

Though the program was established nationally, it would be administered at a provincial level in order to best meet the needs of each region.

Out of about 13,000 dairy producers across the country, most are located in Ontario and Quebec. There are about 4,500 in Ontario, where the sector represents the largest segment of the province's agricultural community.

With consumers focused on buying local, and keeping in mind that most of the milk in Ontario travels less than 150 kilometres to market, Allen said the IPM will serve as an excellent opportunity to share this information with the public.

"It sounds pretty exciting. We made some banners to welcome everyone to the area with the blue cow on it, and placed them along strategic spots on the 417 so they get a little more exposure to what we're trying to do."