Resources

This article explains what heat stress is, signs and symptoms to identify it in cattle, and management practices to control and prevent it.

This factsheet reviews the four most common species of flies that are seen on dairy animals. It discusses how to tell them apart, what health issues they may cause, and how to control and prevent them.

This checklist outlines questions to consider when reviewing your milking routine. In addition, it provides scorecards for teat ends and hygiene scoring. This publication was written with a focus of cattle, but the concepts still apply to dairy goats and dairy sheep.

This article discusses the ways to prevent a high bacterial count within milk through record keeping, labeling of supplies, proper training of employees. Proper maintenance of milking equipment and bulk tanks are also discussed, as well as cow-level questions to ask yourself when dealing with high bacterial counts in milk. General rules of thumb are given for SPC, SCC, and PIC. This article is written with cattle dairies in mind, but concepts still apply to small ruminants. The general rules of thumbs for SPC, SCC, and PIC will differ in small ruminants from what is written.

Are you considering processing your milk into soaps? This article is a great starting point for the basic steps to producing cold-processed soaps. CAUTION: This process involves harsh chemicals, so make sure you mix ingredients in a well-ventilated room with appropriate protective equipment.

This article can be used to understand the national milk consumption trends and to understand how this might compare to your marketing area.

Bottling fluid milk tends to be a common starting point for first-time value-added producer-processors. Being a grade A product, there are strict regulations to follow. View this article and video for an introduction to the types of fluid milk products, the steps and equipment needed, and the regulations surrounding the production and sale of this product.

With the consumption of cheese on the rise nationally, cheese is becoming a more and more common product. For a glimpse into the national trends and industry, view this article, then consider how it might relate to your marketing area.

Cheese production differs greatly based on the type of cheese that is being made. This video and short article can help to understand some of the manufacturing differences among the various types. It will teach the basic equipment and steps needed, but remember that the steps needed to produce an aged cheddar will vary greatly from those needed to make fresh cottage cheese.

Considering producing frozen desserts? This article and video will teach you the basic ingredients and equipment needed and walk you through the steps needed to make frozen treats, including ice cream.

Do you currently or are you considering ice cream production? This publication gives insight into the purchase trends of consumers on a national level and can be used to determine what questions to ask yourself regarding your market area.

This publication provides a guide to value-added production using community supported agriculture. Information includes: what community supported agriculture is, is it a good fit for your operation, and planning and operating with community supported agriculture.

This article gives insight into potential benefits to the state’s economy if a Tennessee milk plant were to be built.

This publication is a summary of a recent study done by the University of Tennessee in an effort to understand what Tennessee consumers are willing to pay for local, organic, and store-branded milk, identify milk purchasing trends and attributes associated with the three milk types, and to understand Tennessee consumers definition of “local” dairy products defined by geographic regions and distance traveled.

This calculator can be a helpful tool to calculate your oil mixture in your cold-processed soaps based on the type of lye you’re using. It can be used to help adjust your formula as well.

Do you or are you considering milking sheep? This article is an introduction to dairy sheep, discussing everything from feeding and housing to breeding and milking.

This publication discusses the appropriate temperature and humidity for goats, complications of heat stress, and what you can do to limit your goats’ heat stress.

This 2007 publication details possible human chemical risks associated with cattle, when and how to treat various cattle external pests. It details the different compounds, biological, and environmental methods used to prevent these nuisances.

This article outlines the number of head needed to operate an economically viable value-added enterprise with sheep, sheep care basics, and a sample budget with initial start-up requirements for a sheep farm.

Outlined in this article are the proper milking protocols for small ruminants, the prevention and treatment of mastitis, and some ideas for value-added small ruminant dairy products.

This links to a landing page for an introduction to marketing and selling your soaps, guides to cold processed soaps, superfatting soaps, and recipes for candles, lotions, bath bombs, soaps, soaks, scrubs, and lip products.

Raw milk has many inherent risks associated with consumption and UT does not promote the sale or consumption of raw milk. This article discusses the risks and illnesses, how milk gets contaminated, and why you cannot test to tell if raw milk is truly safe to drink.

This paper describes a 2019 study into the possible Tennessee Milk Logo to understand what customers would pay for milk with this logo, how much they would purchase and where, how customers view local Tennessee milk and how far they would drive for it. This information is useful to those considering or currently selling fluid milk.

This video and short article can help to understand the manufacturing methods for cultured products such as yogurt, sour cream, dips, buttermilk, and kefir. Having a good understanding of these processes can help you to determine what products will grant you the greatest potential profit while allowing you to balance out your production line with other products.

Being able to balance and use the maximum amount of milk in your processing plant can increase revenue. This article gives ideas for various products and how to label and market them.

This short article and video can help a producer understand how to balance their production with their customers’ demand. Doing just this can ensure that businesses don’t lose money through product waste or by running out of products.

A business can add value to a product in three different ways: 1) turning one product into another, 2) capitalizing on labels (Pick TN, Tennessee Milk, etc.), and 3) producing the product with the intention to distinguish your product from others (organic versus grass-fed versus conventional). This article and short video discuss the second and third options as ways to add value to your farm’s milk.

This paper describes a 2019 study into the possible Made with Tennessee Milk Logo to understand what customers would pay for milk with this logo, how much they would purchase and where, how customers view products made with Tennessee milk, and how far they would drive for it. This information is useful to those considering or currently selling value-added dairy products.

The Producer-Processor Ice Cream Short Course is a free resource that encapsulates the learning that the stakeholders in a real producer-processor dairy underwent as they opened a brand new on-farm ice cream business. To broaden the reach of the course the materials are available in both English and Spanish (dubbed).