Earlier this month I had the opportunity to join a group of bloggers on a visit to a couple of California dairy farms, sponsored by the California Milk Advisory Board. We started bright and early (thank goodness the three-hour NY to CA time difference was in my favor!) and boarded a bus for our first stop.  I couldn’t wait to learn about where milk really comes from, because before this trip the extent of my knowledge was “Milk comes from cows.”  I wanted details!  What is the milking process like?  What are the cows’ living conditions?  How do I know that the milk is safe?  Do the cows seem content with their lot in life?

The Charles Ahlem Dairy is a large, family owned dairy with about 2,800 Jersey Cows (the pretty brown ones), which produce a fattier milk perfect for making cheese.  The centerpiece of this farm is a large milking carousel, which carries about fifty cows on a slow, eight-minute milking ride.  The cows, which are generally milked two or three times a day, knew the routine, lining up and taking their spots on the carousel without help.  After their udders were cleaned, the milking machines were attached and the milk started to flow.  It seemed like a very relaxing process, and the cows were calm.

When not being milked, the cows are kept in large, shaded pens where they can choose their own beds.  The cows’ comfort is very important, since upset and uncomfortable cows will not produce much milk.  Cows don’t sweat, so keeping them cool can be hard, especially in summer.  When the shaded living spaces aren’t keeping them cool enough, water misters come on automatically.

The next stop for our group was the Durrer Dairy.  This was a smaller dairy – less than 1,000 cows – consisting mostly of Holsteins, the black and white cows that produce the milk we drink.  This dairy used the more traditional milking stalls, in long rows – no fun carousel ride for these cows!  We saw where the calves are kept, in little pens separated from each other.  The newborns are taken away from their mothers right away, and are bottle fed their mothers’ colostrum, so that they don’t infect their mothers’ teats.  Once they’re old enough to live with the rest of the herd, they join the routine of getting milked two or three times a day, and lazing around in the shade.  Not a bad life.

I was impressed with the care the cows received at both farms.  They’re regularly tended to by veterinarians and every effort is made to ensure that they are as comfortable as working animals can be.  We saw firsthand how multiple generations of dairy families work the farms and contribute.  I loved watching the toddlers watching the cows – what an amazing thing to grow up with!

Trip was sponsored by CMAB, but all opinions are those of the author.