Dairy History

Milk is one of mankind's oldest and most essential foods. Dairy products have existed since the days of ancient Egypt when they could only be afforded by the royalty, the priests, and the very wealthy.

Evidence indicates that a type of cattle apparently closely related to the Brown Swiss dairy breed of today existed during the Bronze Age in the area now known as Switzerland. The most common dairy breeds in North America today have their origins in Europe. Holsteins originated in what is now the Netherlands. Ayrshires originated in Scotland. Brown Swiss originated in Switzerland. Guernseys were developed on the Isle of Guernsey and Jerseys were developed on the Isle of Jersey, both small islands which are in the English Channel off the coast of France. In fact, the word "cattle" comes from the Old French word "chattle" which means possession.

Originally, cattle served a triple-purpose: meat, milk, and labor. By the 5th century A.D., cows and sheep were prized for their milk in Europe. By the 14th century, whole herds of sheep were being milked in Europe but cow's milk soon became more popular than sheep's milk.

When European dairy cows arrived in America in 1611, they helped end severe starvation in the Jamestown Colony. The first ice cream parlor opened in New York City in 1776. Reportedly, George Washington liked ice cream so much he ran up a $200 bill for ice cream one summer. In 1812, Dolly Madison served ice cream at a White House inaugural ball.

During Andrew Jackson's presidency, cheese makers presented the President with a large wheel of their finest cheddar cheese. He ordered it put on display in the White House for one year and then invited the citizens of Washington, D.C. to share in eating the cheese at the end of the year.

The first regular shipment of milk by rail - to New York City - occurred in 1841. The first cheese factory in the United States was built in Oneida County, New York in 1851. Development of the first hand-cranked ice cream maker in 1846, the ice cream cone on September 22, 1846, and the waffle cone in 1904, added to the growing popularity of ice cream.

After the New World was settled and markets began to develop for milk in America, dairy breeders began importing dairy cows from Holland. The first Ayrshires were imported into the United States around 1822. A Massachusetts breeder purchased one of the first Holstein cows from a Dutch sailing master at Boston in 1852. Jersey cows were brought into the United States in the 1850's while the first recorded Brown Swiss in America were imported in 1869 and 1870. Dairy cows were eventually kept in or near towns and cities - closer to the growing numbers of people. In the big cities in the early to mid-1800's, dairy cows were often kept in dark unsanitary sheds, sometimes less than 10 feet from where milk, cream, and butter were sold to customers.

In the 1880's and 1890's, Brown Swiss dairy cattle were taken to most parts of the United States by settlers and traders and the Brown Swiss breed had reached the Pacific Ocean by 1895.

Discoveries by French scientist Louis Pasteur concerning food spoilage led to pasteurization (heat sterilization) of milk. Pasteurization made it possible to store and distribute milk. Commercial pasteurization machines were first introduced in 1895, while ultra-high temperature pasteurization was introduced in 1948.

In the 20th Century, refrigerators replaced ice boxes (storage units cooled by a block of ice). Milk cans began to be replaced in 1938 with bulk tanks for on-farm milk storage. The dairy industry also evolved from small dairies with only a few cows to larger dairies. Advances in sanitary on-farm milk storage and efficient transportation to processing and packaging facilities allowed dairy producers to focus on the dairy herd's production.