While we were at Mississippi State University we visited their dairy unit. The Mississippi State University dairy unit was quite different from the dairy we went to earlier this ag trip. For instance the scale and organization when milking was very different from the larger scale dairy. While we were at the dairy unit, Mr. Hardin showed us where they keep their cows and their milking parlor. They had two breeds of dairy cows that included Jersey and Holstein. He explained how students would come to help care for the cows here at MSU. That would include milking, feeding, and cleaning what needed at the dairy unit.
At the Mississippi State University dairy unit they lined the cows up facing away from the middle where they hook up the milking machine. The whole process begins once the cows file into their position, then they would strip, meaning they would milk the cow just a little bit by hand to get them started. After they strip they dip the teat with iodine to kill any bacteria on it and wipe it clean. Then you would hook up the actual milking machine and wait till the cow is done. After the cow is all milked you would dip the teats with iodine one last time. The cows will get milked two times a day typically around three o'clock so that students had time to go to their classes.
Once all the cows have been milked, the milk was sent to another location to be pasteurized and processed into products such as cheese, ice cream, and drinkable milks. All these products are then sold in a store on campus. Before we left we visited this store and got some ice cream, it was very yummy. I think it’s interesting to see how products are made from start to finish. And in this case would include where the milk comes from. I really enjoyed seeing what MSU had to offer and I’m so glad we got to see the dairy unit.
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