Milk Test Continued...

M'kay. Milk test.

Reading through my paperwork to see what I need to do, I read that the scale I use to weigh my milk needs to be calibrated and documentation sent to Meadowlark Testing showing my scale was calibrated.

Hmmm.

Where in the world does one calibrate a scale??

I looked in the yellow pages under scale and called some 800 number. They told me I had to schedule them to come to CO and it would be a minimum of $100 for the trip out.

I paid maybe $20 for my scale. Not gonna go that route.

I called CSU to see if a science department could calibrate my scale. That poor person was like wtf??? Completely confused by my question. "You want to do what? We don't have anything like that... Who ARE you?"

I told her I knew I could take soil samples to CSU Soil Lab and have that tested, I thought maybe the science department could help me with my scale.

"What? Ohhhh! That is the Agricultural College - THEY are the ones that test soil! (much relief in her voice) We don't test soil here. You want the Soil Lab. We aren't the Soil Lab.

sigh. I don't want to test any soil... I want to calibrate my scale.

"Well, we aren't the Soil Lab. You want the Agricultural College"

K - dead end there.

I e-mailed my scientist friend who works at an animal health business to see who calibrated the scales in their lab. She said they have an out of state company come to do it but she'd ask around to see if there was a local place.

Then, while drumming my fingers on the phone book - open to the 'C' pages from my previous call to CSU - I found the PERFECT place. A business called Colorado Dairy Assoc in Loveland! They will know! They have to know!

I talked to a guy who told me they could regulate my meter.

Wha?

When I asked him exactly what 'regulating a meter' did, he replied that as milk passes through the line into your bulk milk tank, the meter reads the flow of milk.

Ummm, and what do you do if you are milking by hand?

Silence.

Crickets.

Then a polite, "Well, m'aam I thought you were a more high tech operation than that. We don't work on those type of scales."

Fully flummoxed, I called Meadowlark Testing to see if they could recommend a place. The very lovely woman who runs Meadowlark paused and said very slowly, as if I might be a bit slow on the ol' uptake, "We calibrate and certify the milk scales"

OHHHH! Thank-you so much! I'll send my scale in with my ppwk!

I hung up the phone and felt much relieved my scale search was finally over. shew!

When I got home that night, I started telling Furry Husband my story. He interrupted and asked, "Why don't you just call Meadowlark Testing?"


Holy Schnikees... maybe I AM a bit slow on the ol' uptake! grin.