Organic dairy products are always in demand worldwide. That’s why producing all types of dairy products is more profitable than just selling milk. As you can assume, the farmers need dairy equipment to process raw milk into high-quality cream, butter, yogurt, condensed milk, buttermilk, cheese, etc. Besides, there are machines for milking, feeding, and storing items. A few models seem a little pricey but can generate greater revenue later. Let’s take a look at the 9 devices people must have to run a successful organic farm.
Feeding device
If someone owns a medium to large farm, it’s almost impossible to make animal food and feed the livestock one by one. You can hire additional helpers or purchase feeding equipment like a feed grinder. Animal feed is prepared by grinding and mixing different ingredients such as grass, wheat, corn, barley, etc. Since the big pieces are cut into smaller forms, animals can eat and digest them with minimal effort. Other similar gadgets are green fodder choppers and chaff cutters; you can use any of them instead of a grinder.
Milking device
Dairy farmers can milk their cows easily by hand. However, it is tiring and time-consuming if they have a lot of animals. In this case, investing in milking equipment will be an excellent idea. Automatic machines generally take a couple of minutes, which is way faster than hand milking. Therefore, they can speed up a farm’s production significantly. They employ vacuum technology to squeeze milk out without injuring animals and then transfer it into a large can.
Milk tank
Raw milk, which is just collected, can last for only a few hours depending on various weather conditions. But, people may need more time to pack, label, transport, sell or make other products from it. Milk tanks can help us in these situations. They are specially-designed containers that keep liquid milk fresh for a long period. They come in multiple capacities, shapes, and materials. Most people use stainless steel tanks because of their sturdiness, superior corrosion resistance, and excellent quality control.
Homogenizer
Homogenizers involve passing the liquid through tiny holes so that its texture, taste, and color can be better. It can homogenize a mixture of different cow milk and distribute fat nicely throughout the whole liquid. On the other hand, you will see a separated fat layer on top of the non-homogenized version. People used to shake milk to obtain consistency in the past, which was indeed a tedious task. Now, commercial farms use homogenizers to take care of this process within no time.
Pasteurizer
Raw milk usually has pathogens and bacteria that can be harmful to the consumer’s health. Pasteurization refers to heating raw milk at a low temperature to remove those hazardous microbes. It also prolongs the product’s lifespan. Milk’s nutritional value remains intact during this procedure. A device named a pasteurizer is required to do this job. It keeps stirring milk while maintaining the specific temperature. When the milk is cooled down, we can use it for further processing.
Separator
This machine segregates cream or fat content from milk, which can be sold directly or used to make butter and ghee. Its rotating conical disks create high centrifugal force to separate cream and skim milk. Since fat molecules are lighter than skim milk, they float on top and come through the upper pipe. The remaining liquid is low in fat and rich in vitamins and minerals. Farmers can control the fat contents of both products as per their needs.
Ice cream maker
Who doesn’t like to eat fresh ice creams from an organic dairy farm? If anyone wants to expand their farming business to another level, they should start selling ice cream. All they have to do is pour the base into the ice cream maker. This machine stirs the ice cream base until it becomes creamier and lump-free. There’s a built-in cooling system to chill down the mixture.
Butter churn
It transforms cream into delicious butter and flavorful buttermilk. Both products’ richness depends on the fat percentage of the cream and the milk quality. The device breaks membranes of butter molecules presented in cream. This way, lots of fat molecules are extracted and start forming a big cluster. As the churning continues, it releases the air bubbles that hold butter and buttermilk together, and thus, they get separated.
Cheese press
A dairy farmer should opt for a cheese press to get top-quality cheese from cheese curds. It drains out all unwanted fluids from the mold by applying pressure. As a result, the curd granules harden and come closer. This is necessary in order to achieve the right cheese texture, shape, and long shelf life. However, this machine may not be suitable for producing soft cheeses.
In conclusion, the equipment needed to run an organic dairy farm can be costly upfront, but over the long run, it will definitely pay for itself. And, it will produce a large variety of profitable and tasty foods along the way.
