Cornell University's Department of Food Science has selected Upstate Farms of Rochester as producer of the highest quality milk in New York state. The annual selection was announced today (Aug. 28) at the New York State Fair's Dairy Day.

The selection is part of the New York State Milk Quality Improvement Program and 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 over shelf life.

Upstate Farms of Rochester received a score of 95.7, the highest score attained since the contest was initiated in 1997. Crowley Foods of Albany came in second place with a score of 94.2. Crowley Foods of Binghamton came in third with a score of 84.0.

Cornell University Dairy's milk scored 94.6 points, which qualified it for second place in the state. But because the school conducts the judging, it is not eligible for the award.

Others among the top 10 in the state: Upstate Farms, Jamestown; Niagara Milk Cooperative (Wendt's Dairy), Buffalo; Parmalat/Sunnydale Farms, Brooklyn; Stewart's Dairy, Saratoga Springs; Upstate Farms, Buffalo; and Byrne Dairy, Syracuse.

Each year, random samples of whole, reduced-fat, low-fat and fat-free milk are evaluated by the program. The New York State 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, Crowley Foods of Binghamton and Upstate Farms of Rochester tied for first place. Second place went to Crowley Foods of Albany, and Niagara Milk Cooperative received third place. From July 1, 1999, to June 30, 2000, more than 500 milk samples were collected and nearly 6,000 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.

Trained testers tasted each sample and gave it a score, according to David Bandler, Cornell professor emeritus of food science, who was the director of the Milk Quality Improvement Program from 1972 to 1997.

Kathryn J. Boor, Cornell associate professor of food science, currently directs the program. "These processing plants are working very hard to make their quality the best ever. We see it across the board in the consumer sensory tests," says Boor. "In the last few years, we've seen measurable improvements in flavor scores, even near the end of product shelf life."