Don't we all want the best for America's children? We encourage them to be active to counter the obesity epidemic; to read instead of play video games to develop their intellectual abilities. Shouldn't we also make sure that they are consuming enough dairy products for a healthy and active lifestyle? Go into any classroom today and ask the students where milk comes from. The response probably will not be cows. Most children today believe that milk comes from one of two places, a bottle or the grocery store. Even youth who grow up in rural areas struggle with the concept that milk comes from cows. Today's youth have an ever increasing disconnect with agriculture as more farms, both large and small, are being forced to sell out.

In 1950 there were 5,647,800 dairy farms in the United States and virtually every child was exposed to agriculture in some form or another. It was not uncommon for children to have a neighbor who was involved in agriculture of some form. Our grandparents and even our parents generation knew that milk came from cow, isn't that something the today's generation should know? Today, approximately 1.9% of the U.S. population is involved in dairy farming and this number is decreasing annually. The children who are currently growing up on dairies are not likely to work in Washington, advocating for the future of agriculture. These decisions are in the hands of someone who most likely has never encountered a cow in their lifetime. Therefore, every child, regardless of their location or background needs to know the story of how milk gets from the cow and into their home.

It is important to begin teaching children about where the dairy products they find in their refrigerator actually come from, and how servings they should consume per day. It is essential that children get three to five dairy products a day in order to meet their calcium requirements. Meeting these requirements is especially important for young girls who are at a greater risk for calcium deficiencies later in life. It is important for children to know how their chocolate milk and cheese gets from the dairy in Tompkins County to the grocery store in Ithaca. In order for children to learn how this happens, it is important to teach them the “story of milk”.

Cows begin producing milk after they have a baby, commonly known as a calf. The calves are then fed colostrum, which is the first milk that the mother produces. For the next two years these calves are raised with the best care and treatment available. When these animals calve they join the milking herd. These animals are milked two to three times daily and fed to meet their nutritional requirements. Lactating cows drink 25-30 gallons of water a day, the equivalent of filling a bathtub. Just as a child needs to be fed to meet their growth and nutritional requirements, so do cows. Children however, tend to lack essential elements to their diet, including calcium. Currently only children from the ages of 2 to 3 receive enough calcium in their diet.

Each cow produces around 8 gallons of milk per day. All cows make whole white milk; brown cows just simply do not make chocolate milk. This milk then goes into a bulk tank, a refrigerated tank that allows for the pooling of milk from all cows on the farm. Milk comes out of the cow's udder at 101 degrees Fahrenheit. The milk is then cooled to 39 degrees, in order to keep bacterial growth from occurring. This milk is then picked up by a milk tanker truck and goes to a dairy processing plant. In my hometown, every child in kindergarten used to be exposed to a dairy on a yearly field trip. On this trip to a local family owned farm, children saw everything from baby calves to milking cows. The best part of this program was not that children were exposed to dairy farming, but that they talked about it for years to come. When I was in kindergarten, my class came to our dairy, and they were still talking about the experience when we were in high school.

When milk arrives at the plant it is checked for quality. Milk that does not meet quality requirements is dumped and does not go into the food supply. This insures that the product is of the highest quality possible. These quality requirements include that the milk must be antibiotic free. After milk passes this stringent testing, it is then processed. Every farmer takes a great deal of pride in the product they produce. The milk is homogenized, which breaks up naturally present fat globules and distributes them throughout the milk. Following homogenization the milk is pasteurized, which kills any bacteria that may be present in the milk.

After processing, additives, such as flavored syrup, can be added to milk, giving it the different flavors that children love. Milk can also be processed into products such as yogurt, ice cream and cheese. Dairy products are then packaged and sent to grocery stores and schools throughout the county, including those in Ithaca. Many of us who are currently at Cornell can remember back to our days in 4-H, when we visited our local processing plants and learned how the milk from our prized cow became the ice cream that our friends loved.

It is important to take steps, starting now, to ensure that children have strong, healthy bones throughout their lives. That is why it is crucial that every young child consume three dairy products a day. Not only do dairy products provide calcium; they are an excellent source of Vitamin D and the B complex vitamins. For more information on dairy products, websites, such as www.3aday.org, are excellent resources. It is essential to encourage today's youth to eat three dairy products a day and learn about the dairy industry to ensure a successful future for themselves, and the hardworking dairy farmers.

As a society we need to take steps to shrink the growing disconnect with agriculture, especially dairy farming. The children sitting in America's schools today are our future policy makers. Take them on a weekend outing to the local farmers market or encourage their schools to visit dairy farms. This exposure allows children to develop the fullest sense of where there food comes from. After doing so, if they are faced with such decisions in the future they can make choices that improve the lives of those who have been providing the food on their dinner table for years.