Upstate Milk rated among the best

Rochester's Upstate Farm Cooperative tied with Crowley Foods of Albany for the highest quality milk in New York state for 2002.

The selection is part of the New York State Milk Quality Improvement Program and is sponsored by the New York Milk Promotion Order. The analytical tests are run at Cornell.

Judging criteria included butterfat content, post-pasteurization bacteria counts within the milk's sell-by date, and vitamin levels. The most critical attributes analyzed were product flavor and stability during shelf life.

Kathryn J. Boor, the Cornell associate professor of food science who runs the testing program, said the two milk producers tied for first place with a score of 91.3. Crowley Foods of Binghamton came in second with a score of 81.1.

Throughout each year, random samples of whole, reduced-fat, low-fat and fat-free milk are evaluated by the program. The New York Milk Promotion Order is funded by revenues collected by the state from dairy producers. It is administered through New York's Department of Agriculture and Markets. Nearly all commercial milk processors in the state participate.

Last year, Wendt's Dairy of Buffalo (Niagara Milk Cooperative) won first place. Upstate Farms of Rochester was second and Crowley Foods of Binghamton was third.

Among the top 10 high-quality milk producers in the state in 2002 are: Cornell University Dairy, Ithaca; Stewart's Processing Corp., Saratoga Springs; Upstate Farms Cooperative, Buffalo; Garelick Farms, Rensselaer; Parmalat/Sunnydale Farms, Brooklyn; Wendt's Dairy/Niagara Milk Cooperative, Niagara Falls; and Byrne Dairy, Syracuse.

From July 1, 2001 to June 30, 2002, more than 400 milk samples were collected and nearly 4,000 individual tests were run to determine the winners. The milk was first examined when it was received and again 14 days later, near the end of the sell-by date. Microbiological and chemical tests were performed, and trained sensory panelists tasted and scored each sample based on flavor and odor.