Nothing goes with still-warm-from-the-oven chocolate chip cookies quite like an ice-cold glass of milk. And cereal doesn't taste quite the same without milk. But have you ever wondered how the milk in your refrigerator was processed?

Even when you open the cooler doors at the local grocery store or corner market and hand pick a gallon of milk to take home, it's not likely that you think a lot about how that milk got there, the process it took to get from cow to store, and the intensely regulated series of conditions it must pass through every step of the way. As long as it has been kept cold in the refrigerator, it will taste good, right? Not exactly. Producing quality milk is a lengthy process.

The term "quality" means different things to different people, but at the MSU Dairy Farm, quality isn't just a word -- it's a way of life. In the past six months, the Michigan State University Dairy Farm has been recognized at the state and national levels for producing high quality milk.

In January, the MSU Dairy Farm was recognized as one of eight Platinum winners in the 2008 National Dairy Quality Awards program during the National Mastitis Council annual meeting, and earlier this month, the farm received the 2009 Michigan Milk Producers Association Milk Quality Award. Together, these two awards highlight the MSU Dairy Farm as a leader in producing quality milk.

Tom Herremans, management supervisor for the Michigan Milk Producers Association, the Michigan-based cooperative that processes the milk produced at the MSU Dairy Farm, has been inspecting dairy farms to make sure they follow licensing and sanitation regulations for more than 27 years. He considers the MSU Dairy Farm among the best dairy farms in the country.

"Winning the top-rated NDQA Platinum award essentially means that your farm produces the highest quality milk that can be produced," he said. "To receive this award is a tremendous accomplishment – it is considered the 'gold standard' of awards."

Herremans said the MSU Dairy Farm is unique because its milking procedure is both efficient and consistent. As a Platinum award-winning farm, MSU strives to keep its cows healthy so they can produce pure milk with minimal bacterial counts.

To qualify for the award, a farm must first be nominated by another dairy industry professional, such as a dairy plant field representative, veterinarian, DHI supervisor or Extension staff member. More than 200 dairy farms from across the country were nominated in 2008. Duane Farmers, MMPA field representative, nominated the MSU Dairy Farm.

Finalists are next judged by a panel of milk quality experts, who assess a variety of quality indicators, including somatic cell count (white blood cells found in milk), bacteria count and the number of cases of mastitis diagnosed in the herd. The judges also evaluate the farm's milking routine, practices for monitoring udder health, protocols for detecting and treating mastitis, record keeping, strategies for maintaining the overall health and welfare of the herd, and adherence to therapeutic drug use rules.

At the MSU Dairy Farm, the milking process is strictly managed. It's the same, thorough, by-the-rules routine, day after day, milking after milking. The milking machines used to harvest the milk from the cows and the milk line -- the stainless steel pipe that transfers the milk from the machine to a stainless steel storage tank -- must be cleaned after each milking. Workers follow written instruction and wear gloves, and the cows' teats are sanitized with a pre-milking and post-milking dip solution to minimize the chance of dirt or bacteria entering the milk.

The milking equipment dealer performs regular maintenance on the machines, and inflations -- the internal liner in the milk machine that removes the milk from the teats -- are changed at half the rated lifespan to keep teat ends healthy. The milk cows rest on mattresses filled with shredded leather and covered with lime and kiln-dried sawdust.  The stalls are cleaned four times daily.  These practices also help to keep the animals healthy, clean and comfortable.

"Dairy farmers have a huge responsibility caring for their animals," says MSU Dairy Farm manager Bob Kreft. "Properly caring for the animals keeps the cows healthy and somatic cell counts down, which means the milk produced is of a higher quality.

"Taking good care of the land and crops means that the animals have access to higher quality feed, and this makes a big difference in animal health and production, too. It's about providing the animals with a clean, sanitary place to live, quality feed and good care."

Herremans agreed that the success of the MSU Dairy Farm is due in large part to the fact that the workers there do a remarkable job of caring for their cows.

"I applaud how MSU manages its dairy farm," he said. "The entire management system has to run smoothly and efficiently in order to keep a low somatic cell count over an extended period of time. The milking procedure at the MSU Dairy Farm must be excellent. The people who work there take pride in doing the best job possible."

Kreft credits the farms five full-time and many student employees with the dairy's success.

"The MSU Dairy Farm is fortunate because its employees are really interested in the cows and dedicated to doing their individual jobs well," he said. "It's a team effort -- each member of the team has a role to play in producing milk of high quality."

So, you ask, does keeping milk cold make a difference?

Milk fresh from the cow is stored until the milk hauler picks it up to take to a processing plant in a stainless steel tank at a constant temperature of 36 degrees Fahrenheit.  Kreft said that storing the milk at a temperature below 40 degrees is necessary to keep bacteria from multiplying.  If the milk is colder than 36 degrees, however, there is a chance it may freeze, making it difficult to remove from the tank.

So with all that said, the next time you see cows in a pasture and buy a carton of milk at the grocery store, you'll know how the two correlate. And as a consumer, you will understand the significance of quality milk. Healthy cows produce quality milk, which leads to a healthier you. 

The MSU Dairy Farm herd consists of 150 milk cows and 150 heifers and calves.  Cows can produce an average of 28,000 pounds of milk per year - which is equivalent to 9.5 gallons or 85 pounds per day.  The cows are all purebred Holsteins.

Located on the campus of Michigan State University, the MSU Dairy Teaching and Research Center (www.canr.msu.edu/dept/ans/community/facilities/dairy_farm.html) serves as a hub for teaching, Extension and research.