Milk: From farm to athlete

This is the first in a series of pieces exploring how milk gets from the farm to an athlete.

Feed Production: Dairy farmers are stewards of the land. They recycle their cows’ manure and turn it into something valuable for the environment – fertilizer. Crops use the valuable organic nutrients found in the fertilizer and it allows farmers to use less water and keep the soil healthy.

A dairy cow eats about 100 pounds of hay, grain, soybean meal, corn along with many other crops and by-products each day. Dairy farmers hire professional nutritionists to be sure that their cows receive the right amount of nutritious food specific to their needs.

Milk Production: Dairy cow’s milk is 87% water and 13% solids. It contains important nutrients, including calcium, vitamin D, potassium, and high-quality protein. Milking cows are milked at least twice a day by machines. Milk is pumped into a large storage tank on the farm and quickly cooled to keep it fresh.

Transportation: Before it is transported, milk is tested to make sure it is safe to drink and free of any antibiotic residue. Fresh milk is driven from a farm to a local dairy processing plant in a truck. The trucks that transport the milk are insulated and keep the milk chilled during transportation.

Processing: At the processing plant, the milk is tested for safety again. Next it is separated, homogenized, pasteurized and packaged as fluid milk, yogurt or cheese.

• Homogenization is a mechanical process which breaks milk fat into smaller globules. This process helps create a smooth, uniform and appealing texture. To do this, milk is pumped through fine holes under high pressure to decrease milk fat globule size. Because fat is less dense than water, fat separates and rises to the top of milk that is not homogenized. This process has no effect on the nutritional quality of milk.
• Pasteurization is the process of heating raw milk at a high enough temperature for a sufficient length of time to make milk bacteriologically safe – destroying dangerous microorganisms which can grow in milk. Pasteurization has little to no effect on milk’s nutritive value.

Packaging: Milk is packaged at the processing plant into a variety of milk containers and labels. Milk and dairy products undergo numerous safety, quality and sanitation checks, making them among the most highly-regulated and safest foods.

Distributing: Once packaged, trucks transport milk to local stores. Much of the milk delivered to the grocery store was at the farm just two days before.

Enjoying: Consumers who purchase milk at the store reap the benefits of milk’s freshness and nutrients.

Athletes can train harder and perform better with proper nutrition. Visit WesternDairyAssociation.org to read more about milk as an exercise recovery beverage and learn how to eat for peak athletic performance.