Representative samples have an impact on dairy production
Quality assurance and sampling is on the agenda at Kold College's dairyman education. Production as the main focus of the education is no longer enough
“I'm a quality man and not a production man, and that's how it's been all my life. It has made its mark in all the places I’ve been.”
This is how Henrik Kassentoft Bossen presents himself. For the past 15 years he has been employed as a teacher at the dairyman education at Kold College in Odense, the only dairy college in Scandinavia. He is a trained laboratory technician, environmental engineer and dairy technician and has several years of experience as a quality and laboratory manager from Arla. Henrik Bossen's main focus throughout his working life has been quality assurance, and he has never compromised on this. That is precisely why sampling is a subject that he, like Keofitt, has dedicated his focus to:
“Sampling is a very overlooked topic and therefore it is something that I have focused on a lot,” says Henrik Bossen.
Creating an understanding of the importance of the sampling itself and the processing of samples amongst dairymen is the foundation of Henrik Bossen's teaching and knowledge sharing. This is because it is a prerequisite for the samples being analyzed in the laboratories around the country to be representative.
The quality awareness of dairymen is crucial to quality
In his 15 years as a teacher at Kold College, Henrik Bossen has tried to make both colleagues and students more quality conscious about sampling and not just production. Although the most important part of the dairyman education has always been production, he has fought for quality control to be at least as important:
“I have always learned that sampling is the biggest source of error regarding an analysis result,” says Henrik Bossen.
If the dairymen are unfamiliar with the processes and pitfalls of sampling and see the entire sampling process as the work of the lab techs, there are too many sources of error that aren't included in the equation. Misleading results can have major, and costly, consequences for a production. This underlines the importance of the dairymen taking the samples having a better understanding of representative samples:
“I constantly remind them to be observative. When we have the greatest uncertainty in sampling, it is also important that the dairymen take the sample properly,” explains Henrik Bossen and continues: “If I don’t get some quality awareness into them and make them see the significance it has, then it doesn't matter that we have some skilled laboratory technicians to process the samples, if the samples the dairymen extract are representative of the product.”
The industry's focus is expanding
At the dairyman education, the students become acquainted with product quality already on the first main course and again on the third. On the second main course, they will have the opportunity to immerse themselves in the subject through Henrik Bossen's elective, which has sampling as the focal point. To Henrik Bossen's delight, this is a very popular elective, which he estimates is that nine out of ten classes choose. The elective has evolved over the years and changed its name several times. Originally, the subject's focus was analysis methods, but today, the entire process and understanding of sampling is the main focus. Henrik Bossen also makes an effort to anchor the sampling focus in the dairymen's overall consciousness and not only in his teaching:
“I keep trying to get the topic on the agenda here at school, so it's not just me constantly focusing on it. Because that is not enough at all,” he explains.
I have always learned that sampling is the biggest source of error regarding an analysis result
The focus is supported by a knowledge-heavy manufacturer
As part of his passion and interest in sampling, Henrik Bossen has always sought out new knowledge and sparring. A few years ago he became acquainted with Keofitt. The meeting with a sampling valve manufacturer who, like himself, had a desire for increased focus and better handling of samples opened up a whole new world for both Henrik Bossen, but especially for Kold College's dairyman students and teachers.
As part of his teaching, Henrik Bossen chose to include both Keofitt's equipment and expertise. Keofitt's valves are today installed at the Kold College training dairy. When teaching students about equipment, it is important for Henrik Bossen that they also understand how important this equipment actually is.
In addition, Henrik Bossen has also several times brought his students to visit Keofitt, who have shared their knowledge of sterile and representative sampling:
”The students we have on the fourth main course now are the first to visit Keofitt in connection with the elective. This means that they will be the first generation of dairymen who have direct knowledge of Keofitt,” explains Henrik Bossen.
The students have been delighted and inspired by their visit to Keofitt, and as the only company in the world focused exclusively on sampling, Keofitt will play a major role for future dairymen graduating from Cold College.
As part of Keofitt's mission to increase focus on sample handling, experienced dairymen also have the opportunity to educate themselves in sampling through Keofitt's Sampling SchoolTM