Lauren, you've been to a dairy farm what did you learn about how the milk gets to our school?
I learned so much and it's quite interesting to see
what happens on a dairy farm - how the
farmers take care of their cows and the
land to make sure the cows are healthy
happy and safe.
Cool!
Let's start with the people who work
together to raise and take care of our
local dairy cows - dairy farm families who
work together to take care of their cows.
First, the dairy farmers pay close
attention to their cows. This is a free
stall barn because the cows are free to
stand or lay wherever they want.
Cows are creatures of habit and usually
return to their favorite bed or stall.
This farm provides shelter for the cows
it even has fans to keep them cool!
The cows are very comfortable - they have beds
made out of recycled materials - sand and
sometimes they even get water beds.
For cows to make wholesome and nutritious milk,
they must be kept healthy, happy and
comfortable.
This is Josh and he's a fifth generation dairy farmer. Josh, tell us about what you
do around the farm. [Josh]: Well, first thing
bright and early every morning, we go
through drop off fresh feed, this gives
us the opportunity to walk through and
check each cow on the dairy. We want to
make sure they're eating and we want to
make sure they're feeling good.
If we run into issues that we can't solve on-site,
with some of these girls, we call a veterinarian
because at the end of the day what we want is healthy, happy cows.
[Lauren}]: Because cows produce a lot of milk
they need to eat a lot of food!
Approximately 100 pounds every day.
Food is offered to the cows throughout the day.
A dairy nutritionist helps the dairy farmer
mix the right ingredients to feed the cows.
The cows the cows eat a mixture of
chopped up corn called silage, along with
hay and soybean meal, plus vitamins and minerals.
[Josh]: Here's the feed we feed the dairy cows.
[Lauren]: Just like any living thing, cows produce waste.
See that over there?
That's called a cow pie - and it's not something that farmers eat for dessert!
It's what comes out of the other end of the cow - manure!
Believe it or not, farmers
recycle their cows' manure and turn it
into something valuable for the environment.
Manure is used as fertilizer
to grow crops on the farm.
Added to the soil, the plants use the valuable
nutrients found in the manure and
produce feed for the cows.
When dairy farmers recycle, the land uses less water
and keeps the soil healthy.
Another way dairies reuse the manure by-product is to
turn it into compost, just like what your
family might buy at a store to use in your garden.
Dairy farmers also recycle water
to clean the stalls and water their crops.
Dairy cows love to be milked.
They love the routine and they are calm when being milked.
The milk comes out of the cow at
approximately 100 degrees.
To keep the milk clean and safe, it's transported quickly through stainless steel pipes.
The milk stays in the pipes, moving from
the cow to the bulk tank, until the truck picks it up.
Human hands never touch the milk once it leaves the cow.
[Josh]: This tank here is for storage of the milk
and one of these tanks will fill up the semi that you see driving down the road.
[Lauren]: From the farm, the milk travels in an insulated truck to a processing plant.
At the plant, milk is tested,
homogenized and pasteurized.
The milk can also be made into other dairy foods like cheese or yogurt.
The milk is put into gallon jugs, half gallon cartons, or in eight ounce cartons
like those that we see at our school.
The packages of milk are then put on a new truck to be delivered to your local grocery store or school.
[Josh]: Dairy farming is our way of life.
It's our responsibility to take care of the land
and the cows, and most importantly,
the milk.
So that's what I learned about how the
milk gets to our school.
Our dairy farmers really do care!
Dairy farmers really do care about our health.
They teamed up with the National Football League to start a program called
Fuel Up to Play 60.
Miles and I invite you to become a leader.
Learn how at FuelUptoPlay60.com.