Iowa Public Television

Challenge Question Number 1 for Organic Dairy Farmer #1004

Clearly describe what you expect from the students:
Based on the milk supply and product needs listed below, devise a processing schedule for two weeks (four processing days):

Milk Supply:

Mondays: 5900 pounds

Thursdays: 4420 pounds

Product Needs:

Whole Milk: 330 gallons/week

Two Percent Milk: 410 gallons/week

Skim Milk: 140 gallons/week

Cream: 50 gallons/week

Panir(Soft Cheese): 50 pounds/week

Creamline Yogurt: 70 gallons/week

Skim Yogurt: 60 gallons/two weeks

Maple Skim Yogurt: 30 gallons/two weeks

Vanilla Ice Cream Mix: 40 gallons/two weeks

Chocolate Ice Cream Mix: 30 gallons/two weeks

Additional Information:

There are 8.6 pounds per gallon of milk (the milk storage tank measures pounds, but we bottle in gallons, quarts and pints.)

One gallon of milk yields about 1.2 pounds of Panir. If you remove the butterfat from a skim or 2% product, you must put it in another product the same day (We use a cream separator to remove the butterfat from milk). Whole milk is 4.6% butterfat; skim milk is 0% butterfat; two- percent milk is, obviously, 2% butterfat; Creamline yogurt uses whole milk; cream is 36% butterfat; the “ice cream mix” is 6 – 8% butterfat.

We have two pasteurizing vats; one holds 200 gallons and the other holds 150 gallons. It takes two hours or more (depending on how full the vat is) to pasteurize and bottle one vat of milk. Try to balance the workload (the number of batches to pasteurize per day) over the four-day schedule.

How much of each product should be produced on the first Monday, first Thursday, second Monday, and second Thursday?

In order to give the teacher some guidance in evaluating the student's project(s); list some tips that may help to assess the student's work:
Answers will vary.