The Story of Milk Read on to learn how milk gets from the cow to your house and what happens to it along the way. Every day, dairy farmers give their cows water to drink and a mixture of hay and grains to eat. Cows' bodies turn this food into milk. Two or three times a day, farmers milk their cows, using a special machine attached to the cows' udders. Milk is then stored in a refrigerated tank on the farm.
Farmers test the milk to make sure it is wholesome.
Every other day or so, trucks visit each dairy farm to pick up the milk and take it to a factory. At the factory, workers test the milk again. Milk is pasteurized, which means it is heated up to kill any germs it may contain. Milk is also poured through tiny holes to break up solid particles. This process is called homogenization.