The term ‘milk quality’ has many meanings, depending where you live in the world. Not to sound cliché, but there has never been a better time to find global agreement on what it takes to produce high quality milk from healthy cows and using the best management practices suited to the local conditions. Mass communication, globalization and fast access to internet certainly make it easier to obtain information with the click of a finger. And yet, the load of information can be hard to put into practice if many puzzle pieces need to come together in order to create a clear direction for improvement. One of the aims of the National Mastitis Council (NMC) is to facilitate that puzzle solving.
China is arguably one of the fastest growing dairying countries in the world. It’s exciting to see how quickly the country is adapting to the needs of the industry on how to maximize production and improve milk quality. It is fortunate that the opportunity exists for NMC – with its wealth of 56 years of history in mastitis and milk quality knowledge – to cater to the needs of China and other parts of the world. As the organization grows and expands into different markets, so too does the importance to unify concepts on understanding what is needed to harvest nutritious and wholesome milk from healthy cows. Cooperation on educational events and transfer of knowledge by means of partnerships are certainly crucial to this process, and NMC is proud to be a participant in this important venture. We are grateful to those who share the same objectives.
Mario Lopez has undergraduate and postgraduate degrees in animal science and a PhD in Molecular Biology. His 15+ years of experience in mastitis and milk quality comes from practical field experience and the opportunity to travel and live in different parts of the world. He has worked in academia and research for several years, and for the last ten years has been a part of the research and development department at DeLaval where he currently holds the responsibility of Technology Manager Milk quality Animal Health. Mario has been an active member of NMC since attending his first meeting in 2008. He has held several positions in the Board of Directors and is currently the 2017 NMC president.
