How Milk gets from the Cow to the Consumer 

        

 

 

 

 

 

 

Step 1 ­ Cows Grazing  

 

 

Dairy cows typically spend their days eating, sleeping, and ruminating or                     chewing their cud. Typically cows spend about 8 hours eating, 8 hours                       sleeping and 8 hours ruminating or chewing their cud. Cows are usually                       provided with a fresh paddock of grass in the morning after milking and                         another fresh paddock of grass in the evening after milking. They may                       also be fed some grain in the dairy while being milked and Hay or Silage                             (conserved forage) if there is not enough grass available. Many large                     dairy farms utilize growth hormones and antibiotics during the rearing                   process to artificially increase a cow's milk production and to decrease the                       spread of infectious diseases among their cows. 

 

Step 2 – Harvesting Milk 

In the Past: 

 

 

A cow is ready to be milked when her udder is full. The farmer has some                               flexibility when making a schedule of cow milking times. Usually, cows                     are milked in the early morning and again in the late afternoon. It is                           possible to milk a cow by hand. However, milking a whole herd of cows                           twice a day in this manner would take a great deal of time and energy.                             Before the invention of milking machines, people milked their dairy cows                     by hand by squeezing gently on the cow's teats using the thumb and                         forefinger. Some people continue to milk a little by hand today. 

 

Today: 

 

 

Cows are normally milked at least twice a day. Milking time takes about                         five minutes per cow depending on the type of machine and the amount                         of milk the cow is producing. Most dairies have enough machines to milk                         more than 20 cows at one time. Milking machines mimic the action of a                           young calf by creating a pulsating vacuum around the teat, which causes                       the milk to be released from the udder. 

 

 

 

 

 

Step 3 – Storing Milk 

 

 

 

Milk storage vats or silos are refrigerated and come in various shapes and                         sizes. Milk is usually stored on the farm at 39 degrees Fahrenheit or                         colder for no more than 48 hours. Vats and silos are agitated to make                           sure that the entire volume remains cold and milk fat does not separate                         from the milk. After milk has been collected, storage vats and stainless                       steel pipes are thoroughly cleaned before the farmer milks again.  

 

 

 

 

Step 4 – Transporting Milk 

 

 

 

Milk is collected from the farm every 24 or 48 hours. The tankers that are                             used have a special stainless steel body which is heavily insulated to keep                         the milk cold during transportation to the processing factory. Milk tanker                     drivers are accredited milk graders, which allow them to evaluate the milk                       prior to collection. Tanker drivers grade and if necessary reject milk                     based on temperature, sight and smell. A representative sample is                   collected from each farm pickup prior to being pumped onto the tanker.                       After collection, milk is transported to factory sites and stored in                     refrigerated silos before being processing. 

 

 

Step 5 ­ Lab Testing 

 

 

 

Samples of milk are taken from farm vats prior to collection and from the                           bulk milk tanker on arrival at the factory. Samples from the bulk milk                         tanker are tested for antibiotic and temperature before the milk enters the                       factory processing area. Farm milk samples are tested for                 milkfat/protein/bulk milk cell count and bacteria count. If milk is                   unsuitable for our quality products the milk will be rejected. Most                     farmers are paid on quality and composition of their milk and it is                         extremely important that these samples are collected and stored correctly. 

 

 

 

 

Step 6 – Packaging 

 

  

Now the milk is ready to be packaged for delivery to the stores. The milk                             travels through pipes to the automatic packaging machines that fills and                     seals the milk into paper cartons or plastic jugs. As the containers move                         through the assembly line, a date is printed on each of them to show how                             long the milk will stay fresh. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Step 7 – Distributing and Selling Milk 

 

 

 

After packaging, the milk is finally ready for the customers, and it is stored in a big, refrigerated room until it is delivered to stores to be sold. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sources http://parmalat.com.au/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=45&Itemid=222

http://milk.procon.org/view.resource.php?resourceID=000658

 

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