Where Does My Milk Come From?

Dietetic interns are the future of the nutrition and dietetic profession. From the beginning of their careers, they will be bombarded with questions about where food comes from. Milk and dairy foods are often part of the question, and they need to be armed with the facts to answer that question.

Dairy Council of Arizona helps dietetic interns answer that question by taking them by to meet a dairy farmer and tour a dairy farm. A group of 30 interns from Arizona State University and Maricopa County

Department of Public Health had the opportunity to meet Craig Caballero and tour his dairy farm in Eloy, AZ. They learned about cow comfort, the importance of diet for cows at different ages, the sustainability efforts of dairy farmers, and saw first-hand how cows are milked and how the milk is handled to ensure proper food safety. Even though Caballero Dairy is large, with over 3000 cows, it’s a family owned and operated dairy farm that truly cares for the land and animals, and supports the community by providing jobs for the many people in the area.

The interns learned about dairy from farm to table with information about dairy’s nutritional value and role in a healthy, balanced diet. They were provided with numerous resources to help them pass on the information to the patients or clients with whom they will work in the future. They also learned about local milk products and how they can ‘buy local’ when it comes to dairy.

By giving interns the opportunity to meet a dairy farmer and see how milk gets from the farm to their table, they will be able to answer that question: Where does my milk come from, not only for themselves but for all their patients and clients in the future.