Dairy farming

Dairy farming is a class of agricultural, or more properly, an enterprise, raising female cattle for long-term production of milk, which may be either processed on-site or transported to a dairy for processing and eventual retail sale. Most dairy farms sell the male calves borne by their cows, usually for veal production, rather than raising non-milk-producing stock. Many dairy farms also grow their own feed, typically including corn, alfalfa, and hay. This is fed directly to the cows, or stored as silage for use during the winter season. Additional dietary supplements are added to the feed to increase quality milk production.

The milking operation

Two skilled dairy farmers, each with four milking machines, can milk about 100 cows within a couple of hours. Starting at one end of the barn, the two men will attach their electrically controlled suction-operated machines to the piping, and after washing the udders of the cows, attach the four-cup machines to the cows' teats. The machines are held in place automatically by suction, which, through a heartbeat-like pulsing action, draws the milk out of the cows, into the pipes, and eventually into a refrigerated bulk tank. The milk will pass through a strainer before entering the tank. In New Zealand, bore water plate heat exchangers are often used to pre-cool milk prior to entering the bulk tank. At pre-arranged times, a milk truck may arrive and pump the milk from the tank for transport to a dairy where it will be homogenized and pasteurized.

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The milking of cows was traditionally a labor-intensive operation. Farms usually had personnel to milk only a few dozen cows, and keeping a dozen milk cows for the sale of milk was profitable. Now most dairies must have more than one hundred cows in milk at a time with other cows and heifers waiting to be "freshened" to join the milking herd.

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Dairy farmers, the hired men, and their families sometimes drink the unrefined milk produced on the farm. However it is often healthier to drink milk that has been prepared for consumer use. Milk contains bacteria and other organisms that eventually cause spoilage. Milk that is produced under conditions not sufficiently sanitary is refused by dairies for public consumption. This sub-standard milk is usually sold at a lower price to cheese factories.

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