[Aozora]

I am trying to get my girls enrolled in milk testing, especially since my one doe is doing FANTASTIC and milking over 9lb a day. I started on this journey at the end of February. I have joined a local DHIA, but they tell me I have to be my own tester. I found Langston DHIR training on Youtube and watched it religiously, but I don't know where to find the test or who to send it to. I have tried reaching out to people and either my emails have disappeared into cyberspace or instantly been mailer daemon'd. I know I need to complete the test before I can do my own milk testing, and it is just dragging on and on and on.

Can anyone help me find the test for DHIR tester training and help me figure out who to send this to? This is getting to be a nightmare--now I see why nobody around here is on milk test!

 

[Calistar]

Your contact at your DHIA will email it to you. Each DHIA has their own test. Is Langston your DHIA? I've heard of people having trouble with them lately. Pick a DHIA that has good communication and gets back to you in a timely manner- don't stick with one you're having trouble with in the hopes it'll get better. Learn from my fail on that one!

 

[Aozora]

Yeah, I'm already there with my DHIA... She's been no help. She told me to call ADGA, and they were the ones to tell me about Langston's tester training. I don't think I can pick another one, due to where I'm located.

 

[Aozora]

Also, it took me weeks to even get in contact with this one. And then told me I needed to contact ADGA about tester training since they don't offer it. It's been a constant runaround. It was pulling teeth to find out the lab, and so on and so on....

I want to give up, but I also really want my doe to earn her milk star since she's so awesome. I doubt my FF will make a milk star this year, but it will be good to try. And to keep at testing, so that all my does can earn their milk stars into the future.

 

[Calistar]

Pick a different DHIA/lab. It doesn't have to be the one closest to you. I'm in California and I was originally with DHIA West (also in California) but communication with them was terrible, so I switched to Washington DHIA. The woman there told me she has people sending her samples from as far away as Fresno. Seriously, it took me 5+ months to sign up with DHIA and it was nothing short of a nightmare the entire time I was with them. Don't pick a DHIA you're unhappy with just because it's the closest- if it's bad now, it will get worse! (Like a bad relationship, LOL!)

Your DHIA is wrong about the tester training, or they do it differently. I took my training with DHIA West and my verification tester took hers with DHIA Washington, and in both cases, our respective DHIAs were the ones to send us our test and the material to study, and that's where we sent our tests back to be scored.

The signup process is the worst part, once you struggle through that it gets much better!

 

[Calistar]

Also, ADGA has almost nothing to do with the DHIA process. If you tell them you want to start DHI testing they will mail you an information packet with basic instructions, a list of labs and DHIAs, etc. And of course you pay a fee to ADGA. But ADGA has nothing to do with the testing process. They just take your data at the end of the year and award the stars. They're definitely not responsible for certifying you.

 

[Aozora]

Today, I emailed or called every DHIA east of the Mississippi. If I don't hear anything from anyone by Friday, I will move west.

Seriously, this is ridiculous....