The Dairy Industry

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 milk23.7 pounds of cheese16 pounds of ice cream4.3 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

WisconsinCaliforniaNew YorkMinnesotaPennsylvania

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 antibodiesantibodies 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

300-500 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 the milking area be kept clean and comfortable for the cows

milkers must handle cows in a gentle manner to prevent upsetting them.

Milk Productionmilking 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 Productionproducers 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 Productionmilk 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 residuenumber 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 fatglobules 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

Pasteurizationprocess used to kill harmful bacteria

and other organisms in milkmilk 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 - 21.2 # whole milkwhole milk cheese - 10#evaporated milk - 2.1# whole condensed milk - 2.3# wholewhole milk powder - 7.4#

to make 1#

powdered cream - 13.5#wholeice cream 1 gal.- 12# wholecottage cheese - 6.25# skimnonfat 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 herdsmost 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 wellallows 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