How Milk is Made

Grazing Cows

Typically, cows spend about 8 hours a day eating, 8 hours sleeping, and 8 hours ruminating or chewing. Cows are usually given a fresh patch of grass after milking in the morning and another patch of fresh grass in the evening. Cows are also given some grain while milking, and hay or silage (preserved feed) if grass is not enough.

Harvesting Milk

Cows are usually milked twice a day, but some high-producing herds are milked three times a day. Usually milking is done around 6 in the morning and again around 5 in the evening. Milking takes about 5 minutes per cow, but depends on the type of machine and how much milk the cow produces. Most dairies have enough machines to milk 20 to 40 cows at a time, reducing the time cows have to wait to be milked. Milking machines work by creating a pulsating vacuum around the teats to mimic the movements of a calf, which releases milk from the udder.

Storing Milk

Milk storage buckets, or silos, are refrigerated and come in a variety of shapes and sizes. Milk is stored at 4 degrees Celsius or colder on the farm for no longer than 48 hours. The barrels and silos are stirred to ensure that the entire container remains cold and that butterfat does not separate from the milk. After the milk is collected, the storage barrels and stainless steel pipes are thoroughly cleaned before the farmer milks again.

Transporting Milk

Milk is collected from the farm every 24 or 48 hours. The tankers used have special stainless steel bodies that are heavily insulated to keep the milk cold during transport to the processing plant. The milk tanker drivers are certified milk graders, which enables them to assess the milk before it is collected. The tanker drivers grade the milk based on temperature, appearance and odor, and reject the milk if necessary. A representative sample is collected from each farm before the milk is pumped into the tanker. After collection, the milk is transported to the factory site and stored in refrigerated silos before processing.

Laboratory Testing

Milk samples are collected from farm vats before collection and from bulk milk tanks after arrival at the factory. Before the milk enters the processing area of the plant, samples from the bulk milk tanks are tested for antibiotics and temperature. Farm milk samples are tested for butterfat/protein/bulk milk cell count and bacteria count. Milk is rejected if it is not suitable for our premium products. Most farmers are paid based on the quality and composition of their milk, so it is important that these samples are collected and stored correctly.

Processing Milk

Once the whole milk is approved for use, it is pumped into storage silos where it is pasteurized, homogenized and further processed.

Pasteurization:

Involves heating each particle of milk to a specific temperature for a specific time and then cooling it again without re-contamination. Pasteurization is done for two reasons;

1. To destroy all bacteria (pathogens) that may be harmful to health, ensuring that all dairy products are suitable for human consumption.

2. To improve the keeping quality of the milk by killing or inactivating some undesirable enzymes and spoilage bacteria.

Homogenization: Involves pushing the raw milk through an atomizer to form tiny particles, which allows the fat to be evenly dispersed throughout the milk, preventing it from floating to the top of the container.

Further processing: This includes reducing fat content through microfiltration, extending shelf life through ultra-high temperature (UHT) treatment, and blending or culturing the milk for use in flavoring and yogurt products.

Milk Distribution and Sales

The milk is then sent to your favorite store in refrigerated trucks for sale!