By Steve Ohmes, Assistant Farmpark Administrator

A frequent question asked in our dairy is “What do you do with your milk?”

The cows are machine milked twice a day—once in the morning and once in the evening. As the cow is milked, the milk flows into a weigh jar that allows us to measure how many pounds of milk the cow gives. Milk is measured in pounds instead of gallons by producers and processors (as a point of reference, one gallon of milk equals 8.6 pounds). Once the milk is measured, it is sent to the bulk tank where it is kept between 33 and 40 degrees Fahrenheit.

The milk is pumped from the bulk tank into milk cans twice a week. Each can holds ten gallons, which is 86 pounds of milk. The milk cans are then delivered to Middlefield Cheese Co-op.  Once at the cheese co-op, the cans are placed onto a conveyer belt that moves them into the processing area. The cans are then dumped into a tank that totals the weight of milk delivered. A recent month’s total was 10,374 pounds or 1,206 gallons of milk.

Once the milk is weighed, samples are taken to test for antibiotics in the milk. If any antibiotics are found, the milk must be dumped. The milk is also tested for quality and bacteria. If a high-enough quality is met, then we receive quality bonuses.

Stop by Middlefield Cheese Co-op and try the cheese. The store has windows that allow customers to look into the processing room and see cheese being made. It is such a unique opportunity to experience the milking demonstrations at Farmpark, the first step in the process leading to the final product of cheese in retail stores.