REGULATORY SERVICES

The milk program mission is to ensure that raw farm milk produced and marketed in Kentucky is bought and sold using accurate weights and tests and to provide a fair and equitable market place environment for all producers and processors involved in Kentucky's dairy industry.

We work toward our goals through education, licensing, inspection, and service.

What we do:

• License milk handlers, laboratories, transfer stations, testers and haulers.
• Conduct quarterly milk haulers schools at Lexington and Bowling Green in cooperation with the Milk Safety Branch (a requirement to attain a haulers license).
• Train and license about 50 new haulers each year.
• Routinely review records, observe procedures and inspect haulers at processors and transfer stations.
• Periodically monitor testers at milk laboratories.
• Conduct producer pay record audits to review payment records for Kentucky producers.
• Operate a laboratory to conduct analysis of milk components typically used for payment purposes.

History:

First passed in 1918 and was officially known as The Creamery License Law. The original focus of the law was the milk laboratory setting. Testers were licensed and lab equipment and glassware were certified. The program originally licensed over 900 cream stations and 140 milk plants buying milk and cream from Kentucky's dairy producers. The last cream station was licensed in the early 1970s.

As the dairy industry evolved to bulk milk, the program expanded its focus to include sampler-weighers (haulers), transfer stations, bulk plants and record reviews. Today the program works toward its mission through education, licensing, inspection, and service. The Milk Program administers what is now known as the Kentucky Farm Milk Handlers Law.

Milk Program
Division of Regulatory Services
College of Agriculture
103 Regulatory Services Building
Lexington, KY 40546-0275
Phone (859) 257-2785
Fax (859) 323-9931
E-Mail