The Dairy Industry

§large segment of American Agriculture §sales of dairy products account for about 13% of all receipts for farm commodities

The Dairy Industry §different in that the product harvested is intended by nature for no other purpose than for food for young calves.

The Dairy Industry §milk is often described as nature’s most perfect food §87% water, the other 13% consists of solids containing proteins, carbohydrates, and water soluble vitamins and minerals

Annual consumption §28.8 gallons of milk §23.7 pounds of cheese §16 pounds of ice cream §4.3 pounds of butter and yogurt

The Dairy Industry §milk comes from the cow as a processed food §very little additional processing is needed

Leading states §Wisconsin §California §New York §Minnesota §Pennsylvania

Leading states §these five states produce more milk each year than all other states combined

Breeds §85-90% of the cattle in the US are Holstein §favored for their ability to give a larger amount of milk with lower fat than other breeds

Holstein §Lower milk fat was once considered to be a disadvantage §consumers now want and demand a product which is lower in fat.

Feeding §dairy cows are generally kept on pastures where they can make use of grass §some large dairies keep cows in lots or barns and are fed a balanced ration

Feeding §one of the primary feeds for dairy cattle is silage §silage is corn, grain sorghum, or other forage that is chopped while the plant is still green and growing.

Silage §the chopped silage is then placed in a silo or ground bunker where it undergoes a fermenting process

Silage §ensiling the forage helps to preserve the feed §maintains palatability for animals

Gestation §Milk is produced to feed the calf §in order to maintain the production of milk the cows must go through the gestation process and give birth each year

Artificial Insemination §used widely in the dairy industry

Linear Evaluation §Conducted by the Holstein Association §Cattle are visually evaluated by a representative of the Holstein Association.

Linear Evaluation §a thorough evaluation of the animals is given by highly trained representatives §traits of each animal are given a score based on the ideal cow

Linear Evaluation §a computerized system can then give the producer suggestions for the best choices of bulls to breed to each cow

Linear Evaluation §this system can help the producer to make rapid gains in the production of the herd by using the offspring as replacement animals

Calves §once the calves are born they are allowed to remain with the cow for one to two days §raised separately from the cow after one to two days

Calves §some operations take calves away from the cows sooner

Colostrum §the first milk produced by the cow §high in protein and antibodies §antibodies can only be absorbed by the calf during the first 24 hours of life

Colostrum §not considered fit for human consumption §is not allowed to enter the milk designated for human fluid milk market

Milk production §milk is produced in the udder of the cow in small grape like structures called alveoli §blood circulates throughout the udder

Milk Production §alveoli take raw materials from the blood stream and convert them into milk

Milk Production § pounds of blood are circulated through the udder for every pound of milk produced

Milk Production §hormone called prolactin causes alveoli to begin to secrete milk as a cow nears calving time.

Milk Production §as long as the cow is milked or the calf nurses, the alveoli continue to produce milk §prolactin production diminishes over time and is at its highest level at or soon after calving.

Milk Production §as prolactin production decreases, so does milk production

12 mo. Calving interval §cow is bred so that she will calve again within about 12 months

Milk Production §as milk is produced by the alveoli, it is drained into the lumen or a hollow cavity in the alveoli

Milk Production §lumen are connected to the stem that connects the cluster of alveoli together §cluster is called the lobule

Milk Production §the lobule contains ducts called tertiary ducts which drain into larger ducts that carry the milk to the gland cistern where the milk is stored

Milk Production §A sphincter muscle keeps the milk from leaking into the teat §as the cow prepares to nurse or be milked, a hormone called oxytocin is released by the pituitary gland into the bloodstream

Milk Production §Oxytocin causes the alveoli to release milk into the ducts and cisterns and causes the sphincter muscle to relax

Milk Production §The teat is nearly hollow and allows the milk to pass out as the calf sucks or the milking machine pulsates

Milk Production §the release of oxytocin is caused by stimulation of the udder caused by the calf rubbing the cow or the washing of the udder prior to putting on the milking machine

Milk Production §Milk let down process is driven by the release of oxytocin

Milk Production §if a cow becomes frightened or upset the hormone epinephrine is released which inhibits milk from being let down

Milk Production §it is important the milking area be kept clean and comfortable for the cows §milkers must handle cows in a gentle manner to prevent upsetting them.

Milk Production §milking systems can range from no frills to high tech with cows wearing computer chips around their necks which trigger a computer to feed a specific ration to the cow when she enters the milking area

Milk Production §producers must check each cow’s milk before she is milked and the milk is allowed to go into the bulk tank. §If the cow has a condition called mastitis, the milk cannot be sold and must be dumped

Milk Production §mastititis is characterized by lumps or blood in the milk §mastitis can be treated effectively and cured with medication

Milk Production §mastitis is most commonly caused by injuries to the teat and or udder.

Milk Production §before milking each cow’s udder is washed and dried §washing and massaging helps the letdown process to begin

Milk Production §teat cups are attached and then the milking process begins §milking machines operate with vacuum which gently pulsates and draws the milk from the cow

Milk Production §milk is removed from the cow in three to six minutes depending on the cow and the amount of milk she produces

Milk Production §after the milking machine is removed, the teats are dipped in disinfectant solution to prevent infection which may lead to mastitis.

Milk Production §milk is drawn through pipes or tubes into a holding tank where it is rapidly cooled to about 40 degrees F §this cool temperature helps to prevent the multiplication of bacteria and souring of milk.

Milk Production §after all of the cows are milked all equipment is cleaned, sterilized and stored for the next milking. §Milk is picked up by a tanker truck and hauled to the processing plant

Milk Production §at the plant the milk is tested for bacteria count §drug residue §number of somatic cells

Somatic Cells §white blood cells produced by the cow to combat infection §presence of somatic cells in the milk indicates that the cow has had an infection

Milk Processing §milk is filtered to remove any foreign materials §milk is allowed to sit so that the cream can be removed from the top of the milk

Milk Sales §in recent years sales of lowfat and skim milk has had their percentage of milk fat lowered from between.5% and 2%

Skim Milk §non fat milk contains less than.5% milk fat §milk fat that is removed is used to make products like butter and ice cream

Whole Milk §contains about 4% milk fat §globules of fat make up the cream that floats to the top of raw, unprocessed milk

Whole Milk §fat globules are larger than the molecules in the milk §the size difference causes the cream to separate if the milk is left undisturbed for a few hours

Cream §has a lower specific gravity than the rest of the milk §specific gravity refers to the density of a substance compared to the density of water

Specific Gravity §substances with a low specific gravity will float on water §because cream has a lower specific gravity than milk, the cream floats to the top

Homogenization §forces large globules through a screen at high pressure to reduce the size of milk globules §homogenized milk will not settle when left sitting

Pasteurization §process used to kill harmful bacteria and other organisms in milk §milk is heated to a temperature of 145 degrees F for not less than thirty minutes then promptly cooled

Pasteurization §another method heats milk to 161 degrees F for 15 seconds then rapidly cools it

Pasteurization §time and temperature must be closely controlled to protect the nutritive value and flavor of milk

Grading §milk is graded according to the dairy which it came from §Grade A dairies must pass stringent standards for milk production

Grading §standards include cleanliness and other conditions under which the milk is produced §only Grade A milk may be sold for fluid milk

Grade B Milk §can only be used for processing manufactured dairy products such as cheese

Grade A Milk §production of Grade A milk far exceeds the demand for fluid milk §Grade A milk may also be used for processing.

Pricing §milk is classified as Class I, II, or III §Class I is used for beverage consumption

Class II §is used for manufacturing soft products such as ice cream, yogurt and cottage cheese

Class III §is used with Grade B milk in processing of cheese, butter and nonfat dry milk

to make 1 # §butter # whole milk §whole milk cheese - 10# §evaporated milk - 2.1# whole §condensed milk - 2.3# whole §whole milk powder - 7.4#

to make 1# §powdered cream #whole §ice cream 1 gal.- 12# whole §cottage cheese # skim §nonfat dry milk -11# skim

Goats and Sheep §all mammals produce milk for their young §different cultures use different animals as their source of milk for food

Goats and Sheep §desert nomads use the milk of camels for food §camel can thrive and produce milk in the harsh desert environment that would more than likely kill a cow

Goats and Sheep §Mongolians use horse milk as a source of food §make yogurt and a fermented drink from the mares they keep to ride and do work

Goats and Sheep §dairy goats are widely used in poor or developing countries as an important food source §most of the world’s goat milk is produced in Africa and Asia

Goats and Sheep §In the US there are over 129,000 dairy goats §most are in small hobby herds §most of the milk produced is for home consumption

Goats and Sheep §goat milk is very nutritious and is comparable to cows milk §is made into cheese, yogurt and cottage cheese §cakes of goat cheese are made by the producer and sold locally

Goats and Sheep §in many parts of the world sheep are also an important source of milk §over 100 million ewes are milked each year

Goats and Sheep §dairy sheep are milked in Europe, North Africa, the Middle East and Asia

Sheep §Sheep milk is used mostly to make cheese §contains a much higher content of solids than cows milk §13-18% fat

Sheep §higher protein level as well §allows more cheese to be made from a gallon sheep milk than from a gallon of cows milk

Sheep §Roquefort cheese is an example of a blue cheese that is made from a certain breed of sheep in the region of Avenyon in Southern France

Sheep §the cheese is cured in caves and sells for about $54.00 per pound here in the US