Milk Transport Security and Traceability Demonstration a Big Success!
Over 150 people were on hand to review the milk transportation system.
Attendees were provided a close-up demonstration of the system.
Ryan Moore and Brian Luck demonstrate how the handheld computer interacts with the tanker.
Since January 2006, faculty and staff at the University of Kentucky (UK) College of Agriculture have teamed with researchers from Western Kentucky University (WKU) and the University of Louisville to develop a prototype bulk milk transportation security system. The project was funded by the Department of Homeland Security through the National Institute for Hometown Security located in Somerset, Kentucky. The College of Agriculture team includes representatives from Departments of Animal and Food Sciences, Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering (BAE) and Regulatory Services (RS). Additionally, dairy industry representatives have been working closely with the research and development team to provide input on the system.
The system has been developed to provide enhanced security, accountability and improved recordkeeping for the dairy industry. Dairy industry collaborators represent milk transportation companies, milk marketing agencies, processors and tanker manufacturers and distributors. Their participation ensured the system provides beneficial information for all users and that it has practical application in our current milk transportation protocols.
On October 9th, the College of Agriculture hosted a demonstration of the Milk Transport Security and Traceability System at the Fayette County Cooperative Extension Office in Lexington. The event was attended by over 150 people from 25 different stats and provinces. Congressman Harold “Hal” Rogers from Kentucky’s Fifth Congressional District and UK President Lee Todd attended the demo and discussed the importance of leveraging the talent of Kentucky’s universities and colleges to develop solutions for important areas such as bulk food transportation. After welcoming comments from Nancy Cox, Associate Dean for Research and Director of the Kentucky Agricultural Experiment Station, the audience heard presentations from food and dairy industry professionals on the importance of being proactive in the areas of dairy food safety and defense.
A comprehensive demonstration of the system followed the guest speakers. Key components of the system include a small, user friendly handheld computer device that a hauler uses to enter milk hauling records. The handheld device provides the hauler with the most up-to-date information regarding the tanker and farm pick-up information. The tanker is outfitted with a computer processor to store milk and security data. Other key components on the tanker include a GPS unit, locks on the dome lid and rear door, a key pad (to enter security codes when the handheld device is not available) and temperature sensors for the sample cooler and cargo.
Brian Luck (BAE) provided attendees with a close up demo of the system while Ryan Moore (WKU) used the handheld computer to demonstrate interaction with the truck. A detailed discussion of the handheld’s operation and database functions were provided by Fred Payne (BAE) and Chris Thompson (RS). Program attendees left the day with an understanding of how haulers, milk marketing agencies and processors can interact with the system and generate useful reports such as milk tickets, producer milk house records as well as trace-back and security analysis reports.
The research and development team has received funding for continuation of their efforts from DHS through NIHS for $1.2 million. The objectives of the continuation project include optimization of the hardware and electronics for the security monitoring system, development of an enterprise quality data server system, development of commercial quality web-based software and demonstration of the optimized system for a one month period.
The national demonstration showed that the prototype has the potential to meet the needs of dairy processors, milk marketing agencies and milk transportation companies. The system enhances milk transport security, provides a system for tracking bulk milk, provides an information management system for the dairy industry and will significantly add to the security infrastructure of the nation for bulk food transport.
Click here for a copy of the meeting program.
Presentation links.
Gale Prince, SAGE Food Safety Consultants “Meeting the Food Safety Challenges of Today”
Allen Sayler, International Dairy Foods Association, “Food Safety and Defense: A Dairy Processor Perspective on Being Proactive”
Maury Cox, Kentucky Dairy Development Council, “Food Safety and Defense: A Dairy Producer Perspective on Being Proactive”
Chris Thompson, UK Regulatory Services, “Overview of the Milk Transport Security System”
Fred Payne, UK Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering, “Database Demonstration: Product Traces, Security-Quality Reporting, Input and Output”
Chris Thompson, UK Regulatory Services, “Opportunities and Challenges for Implementation”
Fred Payne, UK Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering, “Future Development Efforts”