Why You Should Celebrate Dairy Month with a Tall Glass of Milk
As we head into summer, it is important to stay hydrated. We all know water is great for this, but did you know one of the healthiest beverages to quench that incurable thirst is milk? In 1937, the National Dairy Council declared June as National Dairy Month. With an overall decline in per capita milk consumption in the United States, it’s time to support your own health as well as our dairy industry. But what makes milk such a healthy drink?
Milk is composed of approximately 87% water and 13% solids. With the high level of nutrients relative to the calories in a glass of milk, it is a nutrient dense beverage. The solids comprise of roughly 3.7% fat, which include the fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E and K. The 9.9% solids-not-fat portion contains proteins, carbohydrates and minerals. Milk provides a high level of nutrients such as calcium, which is essential to bone health. The fat in whole milk is also very important for early brain development in children. Many people shy away from whole milk because they assume it is high in fat and therefore, less healthy than 2% milk. However, the definition of whole milk is milk containing not less than 3.25% fat. That is only 1.25% more fat than 2% milk.
The majority of the milk consumed in the United States comes from dairy cows. In order for a cow to produce milk, she has to have a calf. Most dairy heifers produce a calf at two years of age and enter the milking world. Generally, cows are milked twice a day. However, some high producing farms will milk three times a day. The milk is held in a refrigerated tank at 38˚ Fahrenheit and held no longer than 48 hours before being transported to the processing plant. The milk will go through strenuous laboratory testing prior to entering the processing plant. The tests are analyzed to determine the fat and protein levels along with an examination to ensure they are free of antibiotics. Farmers are paid on the quality of milk, so it is important for them to properly collect and store the milk prior to shipment.
The state of Delaware is home to approximately 5000 dairy cows on less than 50 dairy farms. The average cow produces roughly 19,000 pounds of milk during a lactation, which translates to 2210 gallons of milk a year. Milk production for the state is nearly 90 million pounds a year or 10.5 million gallons of milk. A dairy farmer works 7 days a week, 365 days a year, because cows have to be milked every day. This job comes with little or no time off, 15-hour workdays and no snow days. So, on those hot summer afternoons, please remember and celebrate our hard working dairy farmers by drinking a tall cold glass of milk. Not only is it delicious, it’s good for you!