Evans, Gavin (4 August 2008). "N.Z. Forecasts Fall in Dairy Prices Through 2009". Bloomberg.com . Retrieved 26 September 2008. Milking machines are used to harvest milk from cows when manual milking becomes inefficient or labour-intensive. One early model was patented in 1907. [20] The milking unit is the portion of a milking machine for removing milk from an udder. It is made up of a claw, four teatcups, (Shells and rubber liners) long milk tube, long pulsation tube, and a pulsator. The claw is an assembly that connects the short pulse tubes and short milk tubes from the teatcups to the long pulse tube and long milk tube. (Cluster assembly) Claws are commonly made of stainless steel or plastic or both. Teatcups are composed of a rigid outer shell (stainless steel or plastic) that holds a soft inner liner or inflation. Transparent sections in the shell may allow viewing of liner collapse and milk flow. The annular space between the shell and liner is called the pulse chamber. Listeria is a bacterial disease associated with unpasteurised milk, and can affect some cheeses made in traditional ways. Careful observance of the traditional cheesemaking methods achieves reasonable protection for the consumer.

a b Heminthavong, Khamla (17 December 2015). "Canada's Supply Management System" (PDF). Library of Parliament Research Publications. Economics, Resources and International Affairs Division . Retrieved 21 June 2018. Dairy plants process the raw milk they receive from farmers so as to extend its marketable life. Two main types of processes are employed: heat treatment to ensure the safety of milk for human consumption and to lengthen its shelf-life, and dehydrating dairy products such as butter, hard cheese and milk powders so that they can be stored. In the United States a dairy can also be a place that processes, distributes and sells dairy products, or a room, building or establishment where milk is stored and processed into milk products, such as butter or cheese. In New Zealand English the singular use of the word dairy almost exclusively refers to a corner shop, or superette. This usage is historical as such shops were a common place for the public to buy milk products.Milk preservation methods have improved starting with the arrival of refrigeration technology in the late 19th century, which included direct expansion refrigeration and the plate heat exchanger. These cooling methods allowed dairy farms to preserve milk by reducing spoiling due to bacterial growth and humidity. Most modern dairy farms divide the animals into different management units depending on their age, nutritional needs, reproductive status, and milk production status. [10] The group of cows that are currently lactating, the milking herd, is often managed most intensively to make sure their diet and environmental conditions are conducive to producing as much high quality milk as possible. On some farms the milking herd is further divided into milking strings, which are groups of animals with different nutritional needs. [10] The segment of the adult herd that are in the resting period before giving birth to their next calf are called dry cows because they are not being milked. [10] All female animals that have yet to give birth to their first calf are called heifers. They will grow up to take the place of older animals in the milking herd and thus are sometimes generally referred to as the replacement herd. [10] Housing systems [ edit ] The holding yard at the entrance of the shed is important as a means of keeping cows moving into the shed. Most yards have a powered gate that ensures that the cows are kept close to the shed. Laborde, David; Mamun, Abdullah; Martin, Will; Piñeiro, Valeria; Vos, Rob (10 May 2021). "Agricultural subsidies and global greenhouse gas emissions". Nature Communications. 12 (1): 2601. Bibcode: 2021NatCo..12.2601L. doi: 10.1038/s41467-021-22703-1. ISSN 2041-1723. PMC 8110782. PMID 33972533.

With all these cows around this means lots of calves too! Help the farmers feed the calves with giant bottles of milk and learn more about the calves too. Blanco-Penedo, Isabel; Velarde, Antonio; Kipling, Richard P.; Ruete, Alejandro (25 August 2020). "Modeling heat stress under organic dairy farming conditions in warm temperate climates within the Mediterranean basin". Climatic Change. 162 (3): 1269–1285. Bibcode: 2020ClCh..162.1269B. doi: 10.1007/s10584-020-02818-y. S2CID 221283658. Milk production is irregular, depending on cow biology. Producers must adjust the mix of milk which is sold in liquid form vs. processed foods (such as butter and cheese) depending on changing supply and demand. [4] Milk supply contracts [ edit ]Yogurt (or yoghurt) making is a process similar to cheese making, only the process is arrested before the curd becomes very hard. West, J.W. (2003). "Effects of Heat-Stress on Production in Dairy Cattle". Journal of Dairy Science. 86 (6): 2131–2144. doi: 10.3168/jds.S0022-0302(03)73803-X. PMID 12836950.