To determine how farming practices and the intrinsic characteristics of individual dairy cows can influence the composition of the microbial community on teat skin, sixteen dairy farms in the Cantal region of France were studied. Microbial groups of the teat skin of 6 dairy cows per farm were counted using 10 dairy-specific media. Farms were classed into three groups according to the milking hygiene practices, the litter and the forage. Cows were also classed into three groups according to individual characteristics. Teat hygiene seems to be the factor that causes the greatest changes in the level of microbial flora on the teat. Whatever the type of practice, rather young cows are associated with lower levels of microbial flora on the teat skin. The microbial community on cow teat skin belonging to 3 groups of farms was evaluated by combining a culture-dependent method and a direct molecular approach. The diversity of this microbial community was large as 79.8% of clones corresponded to unidentified and 66 identified species belonging to most of those commonly found in raw milk. Then teat skin is an interesting source or vector of biodiversity for milk.