<\/a><\/p>\n Illinois Farm Families<\/a> is a program that invites moms from the Chicago area to visit family farms for a behind-the-scenes look at how their food is grown. I have been fortunate to attend the dairy tour the last two years and I am proud to be involved with it. Recently the program went on a dairy tour which consisted of visiting a fluid milk bottling plant and a dairy farm. The bottling plant was interesting and educational but due to security and industry trade secrets, I was unable to take photos.<\/p>\n During the tour, a common concern heard from the City Moms (formerly Field Moms) was whether or not there are antibiotics in dairy products. Yes, we use antibiotics on Mackinson Dairy when one of our animals is sick and we strictly adhere to the specific drugs withdrawal period. However, as a consumer, you should never worry about antibiotics in your dairy products and I have a blog post telling you why (read more here<\/a>). <\/p>\n To answer this question, I went straight to someone with knowledge on the topic – Julie Cole. Julie is the Corporate Laboratory Supervisor at Prairie Farms. Julie’s responsibilities include managing the laboratory (in Carlinville, IL), training employees, doing equipment checks and working together with a field staff that supports their 752 dairy farmer patron owners.<\/p>\n A third-party trucking company picks up our milk every other day. When the truck driver arrives at our farm, they pull a sample of milk from our milk tank. This sample will be tested at the processing plant. After the driver finishes his route, he heads to the Prairie Farms plant in Peoria, IL. After pulling into the receiving bay, the driver takes the collected milk samples into the lab to be tested. This is done before the tanker is unloaded. The technician then verifies that the load of milk is at or below 45 degrees F and then performs a smell test to make sure there is no abnormal odor. <\/p>\nWhat does a typical dairy processor, like Prairie Farms, do to ensure that the milk they purchase is antibiotic free?<\/h3>\n
Let\u2019s start from the beginning.<\/h4>\n
Testing.<\/h4>\n