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Milk and Dairy Unit
There are two certified dairy farm, pasteurization plant, and bulk milk tanker/hauler inspectors headquartered in the Florida Parishes and 6 inspectors who are primarily Food and Drug Unit inspectors who have also cross-trained in Milk and Dairy work. We currently have two State Rating Officers for the MDU. The Milk and Dairy Unit permits and inspects dairy farms, dairy plants, powdered milk plants, condensed milk plants, frozen dessert manufacturers, dairy product depots, bulk milk transport vehicles, milk hauler/samplers and milk receivers in the state.
When it comes to safe milk production, everything begins with the cow. If the dairy cow is not healthy and the udders and milking equipment are not clean when milking begins, the quality of the milk will go down, sometimes dramatically.
This is why conscientious dairymen always look out for the well-being of their herds. Cows on dairy farms are milked twice daily and the raw milk produced from those cows is transported to pasteurization plants where it is heat-treated for a proper time-temperature combination to eliminate the human pathogens that could otherwise grow in it. Both dairies and plants are vital links in the chain of milk production in Louisiana and around the world. The activities on the farm and inside processing plants are highly regulated by both federal milk officers from the Food and Drug Administration as well as state Milk and Dairy sanitarians. These operations are covered under Part VII of Title 51 of the Louisiana Administrative Code as well as the US Pasteurized Milk Ordinance promulgated by the Public Health Service.
Only Grade A pasteurized milk is allowed to be sold to human consumers in Louisiana under state law.
Highlighted Facts
- In Louisiana, there are 52 Grade "A" dairy farms.
- There are 17 plants pasteurizing fluid milk (both cow and goat milk).
- There are 7 plastics plants producing containers for milk and milk products.
- Louisiana dairy farms produce 300,000 pounds of milk per day (35,000 gallons).
- Louisiana fluid milk processing plants package 1,500,000 pounds of milk per day (175,000 gallons).
- The program participated in the biennial National Conference for Interstate Milk Shipments in April 2023.
- Currentl,y the program follows the 2019 Pasteurized Milk Ordinance (PMO).
- 98% of Louisiana producers are located in the Florida Parishes, and 100% of those farms are family-owned and -operated facilities.
- Most Louisiana dairy farmers are 2nd- or 3rd-generation dairymen (and -women).
Staff
Corey Lea is the Assistant Administrator for the Milk and Dairy Unit. Mr. Lea directs the activities of all MDU sanitarians and coordinates with the lab scientist supervisor to determine sampling schedules. Mr. Lea is a State Rating Officer (SRO) and a Sample Surveillance Officer (SSO) for the state of Louisiana. He collects milk samples, performs dairy and producer/processor inspections and conducts quarterly equipment checks at firms in the Florida Parishes.
Bodie Bridges is a Sanitarian Program Manager with the Milk and Dairy Unit. Mr. Bridges is currently training with the FDA to become a State Rating Officer (SRO) and is presently a delegated Sample Surveillance Officer (SSO). He collects samples and inspects major pasteurization plants in Baton Rouge and Hammond and performs dairy and producer/processor inspections as well as equipment checks in the Florida Parishes.
Rachel Mitchell is a Sanitarian Program Specialist with the Milk and Dairy Unit. Mrs. Mitchell conducts regular inspections of area dairies and collects routine samples.
Tammy Rottmann is the administrative coordinator for the inspection staff at the milk lab. She maintains the inventory spreadsheets, answers phone calls, notifies dairies of lab results, and performs other administrative tasks as needed.
Shanta F. Hamilton is the Food and Drug/Milk and Dairy Program Administrator. She is cross-trained in milk work and works with some of the dairies and producer-processors in north Louisiana. She works out of offices in Baton Rouge, Ruston, and Shreveport, LA.
Sophia Airhart is a Food and Drug Program Manager who is trained in milk work; she works with some of the dairies and producer-processors in the southwestern part of the state. She works out of the Vernon Parish Health Unit.
Rob Schexnayder is a Food and Drug Program Specialist who is also a State Rating Officer (SRO) and a Sample Surveillance Officer (SSO). Mr. Schexnayder works from the Marksville parish office and covers the Borden pasteurization plant in Lafayette, performing inspections, collecting samples, and conducting quarterly equipment checks. He also works with other milk firms in the central Louisiana area.
Tamika Carron is a Food and Drug Program Specialist who is training in milk work; she will assist with routine inspections, sample collections, and equipment checks for Borden in the future. She works out of the Lafayette regional office.
Contact
Amite Milk Lab
104 N. 1st St.
Amite, LA 70422