Where does milk come from? To answer this question, I talked with experts in the dairy industry to learn more about dairy farming and how milk gets from their cows to your table. This is Part Three of my Dive Into Dairy series!

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This is part of a four-part series written in partnership with Midwest Dairy. Stay tuned for the rest of the posts in the series where we will explore where dairy comes from and how dairy plays a role in sustainability! Check out Part One for more on dairy nutrition and Part Two for dairy sustainability!

One of my favorite things to do is make a shopping list and head to the grocery store. I usually go by myself because there’s no pressure to rush and I can take my time. I like to check out new products, read labels, and get curious about the different foods stocked on the shelves. It’s exciting to imagine all the delicious things I can make from the traditional favorites to new, unique dishes!

But a few years ago, but curiosity about food was driven by something quite different than culinary creativity. I was overly cautious about buying certain foods because of the brands or the labels, and I didn’t always trust the information I had about where my food came from.

Thankfully, through my work as a dietitian, I’ve been fortunate to connect with farmers, ranchers, food processors and producers, and other experts within the food system. This partnership with Midwest Dairy is a great example, because I’ve not only been able to learn where milk comes from, but learn about sustainability, animal welfare, and other related topics along the way. Now, I feel a lot more trust and confidence in my food choices at the grocery store because I know more about the story of my food and what made it possible for me to reach for a package and put it in my shopping cart.

If you’ve been curious about how milk is made, keep reading! This is Part Three of my four-part series and today we’re talking all about where milk comes from!

Where does milk come from?

To help answer my questions about how milk is processed, I spoke with two of the dairy farmers in my region. Ryan Anglin, from northwest Arkansas, and Orville Miller near Hutchinson, Kansas both handled my questions without batting an eye. There are many similarities between their dairy operations with a few key differences, showcasing just how unique each and every farm can be.

I wanted to follow the path that milk takes as it travels from the dairy farm to my grocery store. Since I had some limited experience with dairy farming, I knew it wasn’t as simple as milking a cow, popping it into the fridge, and shipping it off to the store.

Let’s explore a “day in the life” of milk to trace its journey from the farm to your fridge!

Life As A Dairy Cow

A herd of dairy cows can range in size from a handful of animals up to several thousand. Since milk is a highly perishable food, milk is produced in all 50 states, often within about 100 miles of where it’s sold.

For both Ryan Anglin and Orville Miller, keeping their dairy cows as comfortable and content as possible is the key to higher production, healthier animals, and fewer problems that can lead to costly issues. Anglin has about 500 total animals on his farm in northwest Arkansas, which means he milks about 170 cows per day. The remaining animals are “dry” cows, calves or replacement cows. Orville Miller is similar in that his total herd is about 200 hundred animals, but he milks a similar number (about 170) per day.

Cows need a rest period in order to maintain good health, so each cow has a 60-day period where she is not being milked prior to having a calf. These cows, along with young cows and others on the farm, still require the same care and attention as the others. There are always chores to be done!

Depending on the size and setup of dairy farms, they may milk two or three times per day in various group sizes. For example, Anglin’s herd is divided into four groups of cows with all of the highest producing cows included in the same group. This ensures the dairy farm employees have a chance to get familiar with the groups and identify potential issues more quickly. And don’t think for a second that they have them on a standard 9-5 schedule – on the Miller’s farm, the first milking starts at 1:30 in the morning!

It can take several hours to rotate a group of cows through the milking parlor, so while someone is monitoring that process, others on the farm are tackling chores. Cows need fresh, clean bedding when indoors as well as plenty of water, optimized feed, and a suitable climate. Cold is not an issue for them as ambient temperature for a cow is far lower than that of a human. While you and I would be shivering outside on a 40-degree day, cows are actually very comfortable. Likewise, we might enjoy a sunny, 70-degree day to bask in the sun, but cows are sensitive to heat and need access to shade, fans, and misters to help cool them off.

Cows are herd animals so they like to stick together. Once a cow learns the pattern of rotating from her pen or pasture, through the barns, into the milking parlor, and back out again, she gets very familiar with that routine. What’s always struck me when I’ve visited dairy farms is the lack of noise from the cows – you don’t hear loud mooing or stressed-out animals, just the occasional sounds as they jostle around to change position or work out their pecking order. I compare it to my experience growing up around horses. When these large animals are calm, content, and cared for, it’s a peaceful environment that makes it easier for everyone to do what they need to do.

And there’s a lot that needs to be done!

Next, we’ll take a closer look at dairy cow diets, medical care, and the milking process as it moves from the farm to your fridge.

Dairy Cow Diets

In Part Two of the “Dive Into Dairy” series, we explored how a ruminant GI tract differs from a human’s GI tract and how dairy cow diets play a big role in sustainability efforts.

But what does that look like on an actual dairy farm? Well, for starters, much of what goes into a dairy cow’s diet is overseen by a nutritionist. It’s very similar to how a person with a health concern might see a dietitian to guide them. Dairy farmers work closely with these ruminant or bovine nutritionists to calculate a TMR, or total mixed ration, that is suitable for their cows’ nutrition needs.

They conduct forage tests, which will assess the nutritional value of the feed. Based on those results, various “ingredients” can be added to the “recipe” for the final feed ration. This ensures the cows are getting their total nutrient needs met each day, especially since it can be hard to ensure that if they were grazing on grass alone.

Most of the feed ration consists of corn silage and hay. Many dairy farmers grow, cut, and process their own feed, which is part of the reason why dairy farms can seem larger than they appear if you were to only look at the barns and structures. Other farmers will purchase silage or hay from other farmers, or contract out to have it harvested and cut. That’s one way that Orville Miller brings in additional revenue for his farm during certain times of the year. It’s one way to support neighboring dairy farms who might be smaller or have less equipment, as well as provide additional work for his employees and family.

One of the most interesting facts I learned also came from Orville Miller’s farm. Because dairy cows eat such a large amount of feed each day (up to 100 pounds!) there are a lot of opportunities to mix in nontraditional ingredients that would otherwise go to a landfill. This doesn’t disrupt a cow’s nutrition; in fact, it can supplement both her diet and a farmer’s feed costs. On Orville Miller’s farm, his cows will eat foods like pizza crusts, tacos, and even chocolate from nearby food manufacturing plants that are discarding these products.

This is one way that dairy farmers create strong relationships with other industries and businesses in their area. Without this option, these food products would go to a landfill as food waste, rather than being upcycled or turned into milk and dairy products.

Dairy Cow Care

As I mentioned, feed is just one part of what keeps a dairy cow comfortable and content. She also needs an ideal environment, especially to avoid medical issues with her hooves (feet). On both Anglin and Miller’s farms, cows have access to dirt lots and outdoor spaces if they choose.

Interestingly though, Anglin said his cows actually prefer to be indoors, especially in bad weather or on hot day. He’s invested in outfitting his barns with fans, misters, and roll-up curtains on the sides of his buildings to account for fluctuating temperatures. Likewise, Miller makes sure his cows have access to pasture because it can help with their hoof health. Dairy cows even enjoy a “manicure” every six weeks or so – a hoof trimmer comes out to the farms to trim their hooves and check for issues with rocks or other small injuries.

On the indoor side of things, keeping barns and stalls clean can be one of the biggest challenges. But it’s essential for both hoof health and respiratory health. Sand bedding provides a comfortable cushion for the cows and offers some drainage capabilities for waste. Barns are also flushed with lagoon water which separates manure. From there, water can return to the lagoon to be reused and the solids are transferred to a storage pit and can later be applied as fertilizer on fields.

This process is carefully monitored just like everything else. Soil tests can tell a farmer where and how to apply fertilizer, and everything is recycled or reused as much as possible to reduce any true waste that comes off the farm. Storage is also top of mind for sustainability and environmental purposes, so farmers often invest in building a system that ensures other water sources on their land are protected from contamination or mixed with wastewater or manure.

Besides feed, water, and a clean place to live, dairy cows also occasionally need medical care. As Ryan Anglin puts it, he won’t hesitate to treat an animal that is injured or sick because it’s inhumane not to. Dairy farmers develop close relationships with veterinarians who can quickly treat cows in need or guide farmers on how to administer antibiotics.

Although some dairy products might display a prominent “antibiotic-free” label, in reality, all milk from the grocery store is pasteurized for safety and antibiotic-free. Each antibiotic has a specific withdrawal period, which helps ensure that as the cow metabolizes and breaks down the drug, it is not passed on through her milk. This is tested at multiple points in her recovery, and if there are any traces of antibiotics detected, she remains quarantined or separated from the rest of the milking herd.

And speaking of milking…

How is milk made?

While there are numerous variations of milking parlors, one common example is a herringbone or sawtooth set up. This allows cows to line up in a diagonal line with six to eight cows on each side. The cows walk in from one side of the barn and enter the milking parlor. The aisle is narrow enough that they stand at a slight angle, with their tail end facing the center and their heads facing out. They may be offered hay to keep their interest, but since they are used to this process they file in calmy and stand still until the gate opens and they walk out the other side.

While they’re standing, a milking attendant will clean each of their teats and attach them to the milking apparatus. This sounds like it may take a while but it moves quite fast. Within a few minutes, these cows are finished and they return to their barns or pens and rejoin the rest of the herd. A new group moves in, and the process repeats.

Once the milk leaves the cow, it’s handled as little as possible to reduce the risk of exposure or contamination. It travels to a stainless steel refrigerated tank to await pickup. This is one of the biggest opportunities to improve sustainability, as cooling milk to 38 degrees can take a lot of energy. This is the best temperature for safety, as the faster milk cools the less bacteria has a chance to grow.

Ryan Anglin was the first dairy in Arkansas to put in a water-cooled plate cooler to help with this process. It pre-chills the milk before it enters the storage tank using well water, which can then be reused. The storage tanks are massive – a dairy cow can produce up to 10 gallons of milk per day, so these tanks can store thousands of gallons.

Milk is picked up by an insulated tanker truck every 1-2 days depending on the farm and transported to a processing plant. Think of this like a thermos designed to keep your cold drinks sealed and chilled. These insulated tanker trucks ensure milk stays cooled until it’s unloaded at the plant.

Each load is tested for antibiotics before it leaves the farm and another sample is tested once it gets to the plant. This creates a traceable path and can indicate who is responsible if there is a trace of antibiotics detected. It’s in a dairy farmer’s best interest to avoid this at all costs because if they are found to be responsible, they must purchase and dump the entire load of milk. That’s what has to happen to make sure that milk doesn’t end up being mixed with other milk, but it’s a very expensive mistake. In addition to this, there are also inspections and audits conducted by the state at all levels of milk production to ensure the highest safety and quality standards.

There are lots of moving parts to this process for getting milk to consumers like you and me, so that’s where co-ops come into play. Orville Miller explained the reason he’s been a longtime member of a large co-op, and it comes down to the benefits and limitations of what he can do himself. Co-ops help with things like marketing and selling their milk, ensuring farmers have a little more stability with their income than they might otherwise. As Miller explained to me, it would be virtually impossible for him to take his milk to market as an independent, solo farmer and get the same prices he would through the co-op. The co-op also offers things like insurance, financing, operating loans, and equipment. Miller says the biggest benefit is the peace of mind he gets. When he knows he can rely on or turn to the co-op to handle certain things, he is better able to do what he is good at and enjoys doing.

Since the co-op may also own milk processing plants and can coordinate the logistics of transporting milk, a farmer’s milk might have to travel slightly further to get where it needs to go. But don’t picture long-haul truckers. For Miller, it’s the difference between going five miles down the road to the closest processing plant versus 45 miles down the road. There, his milk will be bottled and marketed as a regional dairy brand. Milk can also be processed into cheese, yogurt, butter, or the numerous other dairy products we know and love, or be destined for foodservice or restaurant use.

When I stand in the dairy section of my grocery store, I see a wide variety of ingredients that I know I can use to make delicious, nourishing meals and snacks. But I also see the hard work and commitment that goes into making these foods in a way that ensures both quality and safety.

From the farm to the processing plant, to the retailers, to finally my home kitchen, I appreciate knowing the exact path my milk takes in order to get to me. I think this understanding of the care and concern that goes into it makes me feel more confident in not only trusting the food itself but also the farmers that produce it.

I hope this answers your question if you’ve ever thought, “I wonder where milk comes from?” And if you know someone else who’s curious to learn more, share this post with them and invite them to read more from this “Dive Into Dairy” series!