Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
not to homogenize their dairy products because they prefer the more natural product with
cream at the top. However, some creameries do offer customers the option of getting homo-
genized milk.
Whole milk is milk that has not had fat removed. Whole milk has at least 3.25 percent butter-
fat; the milk from Jerseys can contain 5 percent milkfat or more. This fat can also be used to
make other products such as butter or cheese. Not all grass-fed dairies sell raw milk or just
whole milk. Some farmers make grass-fed skim milk or reduced-fat milk such as 2 percent
milk, 1 percent milk, and fat-free milk. Some grass-fed dairies also sell chocolate milk.
You can make many other products from milk. Making these products requires extra equip-
ment and considerable skill, so you should take time to study each product, and take time to
learn how to make them from someone offering classes or farm internships. ATTRA has a list
of farm internships at
http://attra.ncat.org/attra-pub/internships
.
The following are some of the dairy items you can create using milk from your cattle:
•
Cheese
:Thisisusuallymadefromwholemilk,butyoualsocanmakeitfromskimmilkor
cream. Cheese is made by using enzymes or cultures to separate the solids, called curds,
from liquids, called whey. The solids are pressed into a cheese shape and, depending on
the type of cheese you hope to create, some are allowed to age for many months or even
years. Cheeses made from unpasteurized milk must age for 60 days. Cheese can be cut
into smaller pieces for sale or sold in big wheels.
•
Whey:
A byproduct of cheesemaking. It can be sold as a health product or used to feed
hogs, which can also be sold later for meat.
•
Cream:
A dairy product made from butterfat. Cream from grass-fed cattle usually has a
more yellow color than cream from a grain-fed cow; this is a reflection of the extra beta-
carotene from the all-forage diet.
•
Butter:
A product made from milkfat. Under federal law, it must be at least 80 percent
milkfat.Somedairiessellunpasteurizedbutter.Buttercanbefrozenandsoldyear-round.
•
Whipped butter:
The same as regular butter, but it is whipped so it is easier to spread.
•
Yogurt:
Fermented with live bacteria cultures. These cultures make them easier to digest
and boost the immune system.
