National milk day takes place on Saturday, January 11. National milk day commemorates the day in 1878 that milk was first being sold in glass bottles sealed with wax paper. The milk industry has come a long way since then. As we celebrate national milk day, we must also appreciate the farmers who make this all possible.
Smaller local farmers in the milk industry are few and far between now as bigger milk corporations have taken over the industry. Most local farmers have switched over to beef as it allows for more profit and that milk is much more work. However the milk industry is not dead. Dairy farmers still work hard to produce milk. “Dairy Farming is a lot of long days and hard work but it can be very rewarding.” Says a previous dairy farm employee.
Dairy farming is a lot of work, you have to spend a lot of time caring for the animals. Farmers have to feed them, give them hay, and clean their stalls, and for some they have to turn them out to the pasture. Apart from this they also have to take care of their milking equipment.
Farmers must clean and inspect their milking equipment daily. Milking hoses must be replaced every 6 months and the rest of the equipment must be replaced yearly assuming there are no problems before then. Dairy farmers also have to make sure the equipment is working properly as sometimes the hoses can get holes and other times there can be milk buildup along the inside of the machine which can cause it to not work properly.
There is also a long farm to table process for dairy farmers. First they must keep the cows and the land happy and healthy. The farmer must then milk the cows 2-3 times a day depending on the cow and how much they are producing. Once the farmer has the milk, big tanker trucks come and pick it up from the farmer.
The American Dairy Association states “The milk is tested for safety and quality on the farm and again at the dairy processing plant. To ensure that every tanker truck of milk is safe and pure” The milk is then processed, checked for quality, and packaged. After this takes place the milk is finally ready to go to the store shelves. After it is on the shelves we all know what happens as we have a huge part in this. After the milk is on the shelves us consumers buy it and take it home for our families.
A common misconception about the dairy industry is the common idea that “The milk industry is evil, they’re torturing the cows” and while it may look that way that is simply incorrect. The fact of the matter is, in order to produce milk a cow must be happy. If the cows were abused or tortured they would not produce the amount of milk that they are. “I spent 15 years working on a dairy farm doing everything from feeding, hauling manure, milking cows, and looking over the health of the cows.” – Phil Vogel, Owner of Vogel Cattle Co.
While it can look like the cows are suffering or being tortured to some people who don’t know better. The fact of the matter is they are not. I have been on a dairy farm and grown up around people who own them. We need to be more educated and do more research into dairy farming before we make these claims. As consumers we also need to do more to support local and smaller dairy farms as the farmers work hard to produce it, putting in many hours. A good place to get locally sourced dairy and food as a whole is Green Tree Co-op Market DownTown Mount Pleasant.
(Lillian Albaugh )
