A day on our family farms

Cows spend most of their time eating and sleeping. On some farms, that means grazing in a field, and on others, meals are delivered directly to the hungry herd throughout the day. Either way, farmers work closely with vets and nutritionists to ensure each cow is getting a precise blend of vitamins and nutrients.

At least twice each day, cows head in to the parlor for milking. Consistent milking ensures each cow is comfortable and healthy. It's also the perfect time for our farmers to check on how each animal is doing. Innovative technology, like robotic milking systems, increase efficiency and help cows spend less of their time milking. 

The milk is collected and stored in refrigerated tanks until it's ready to be picked up. These tanks are precisely cooled to ensure peak quality and safety. Before any milk leaves the farm, it's tested for antibiotics and bacteria levels. Once the milk that meets our strict standards is collected, these tanks and stainless steel pipes are meticulously cleaned before they're used for the next batch.

Chances are good you've seen milk tankers on the road. These special trucks are equipped with stainless steel bodies which are insulated to keep the milk cold on its way to a processing facility. It's the job of each driver to evaluate every batch of milk before collection. This way, only milk that meets our strict standards makes it to a processing facility, and ultimately, to you. 

Once the milk arrives at our processing facilities, it's tested again for antibiotics and bacteria. Our strict adherence to the Safe Quality Foods initiative ensures that every step of the process meets the highest possible standards. 

Then, it's pasteurized to kill bacteria and reduce spoilage. Next, it's homogenized to ensure that the fat is evenly dispersed throughout the milk. Then, it goes through a process called separation, which involves removing the cream from the milk. The amount of fat remaining in the milk creates the different types of milk you see at the shelf: whole, low fat and skim. Lastly, if flavored milk is what we're after, this is when we add the chocolate!

After the milk is processed, it's packaged, dated and tested one more time for quality and safety before it's shipped off to your local grocery store. At DFA, we have farms all across the country, which means our milk doesn't need to travel far. It might be hard to believe, but this whole process—from farm to shelf—happens in just 48 hours.