Producing high-quality milk begins at the farm. Healthy cows have access to water, fresh grass, high-quality hay or silage, and produce high-quality milk. Farmers must monitor the health of their herd and treat any sick animals immediately. Maintaining healthy animals makes sense because they produce the milk. Farming is different depending on the number of animals—whether it is commercial farming or small-scale farming—but the farming principle remains the same.
Large and commercial farms have all the equipment necessary for milking cows. However, small-scale farmers usually milk cows or other animals by hand. They should milk their cows in a clean milking area. This area could be a small area on the farm that is clean, dry, and free of manure—not on the wet and dirty ground.
During milking, milk from a healthy cow is practically free from bacteria. Therefore, farmers should protect milk from being contaminated during and after milking. They should use proper and clean equipment for milking. In small-scale dairy farming, it is essential to use milk buckets that are easy to clean, usually stainless-steel buckets. Cleaning the animal’s udder by washing it properly is not only part of the process but also stimulates milk flow. Again, milk contamination from the equipment, milkers’ hands, and the surrounding environment should be prevented. Fresh milk leaves the udder at approximately 37oC. Milk contains all the nutrients that bacteria require; it serves as a growth medium for them. Thus, it is crucial to prevent bacterial growth by cooling raw milk immediately after milking. Contaminated milk spoils quickly and can’t be processed at a high temperature.
Different cooling systems depend on the volume of milk produced by farmers. Large-scale dairy farms often use milking machines. Milk is stored immediately in milk tanks with built-in cooling systems or through a heat exchanger, which decreases the milk temperature immediately from 37oC to 4oC. However, cooling raw milk is a challenge for small-scale dairy farms. There are some available options, such as an in-can cooler, immersion cooler, or other techniques using solar energy. In developing countries, access to reliable electricity can be challenging, and the low amount of milk produced makes in-farm investment costly. The only best option is to bring milk immediately to the closest milk collection center. Various milk collection center models have been described here. Farmers may live close to or far from the milk collection center and bring their milk at ambient temperature from various distances, increasing the risk of spoiling it. Thus, handling milk from the farm to the milk collection center should be done properly.
If you seek training or milk equipment, contact us.
Photo by Wolfgang Ehrecke from Pixabay