THE SMALL MILK-TREATMENT STATION

New Zealand Journal of Agriculture, Volume 81, Issue 1, 15 July 1950, Page 53

THE SMALL MILK-TREATMENT STATION

WITH the impetus given oyer vt the last few years to the Bottling and pasteurisation of milk for town consumption many producer-venders throughout the Dominion desire to advance with the times, and, where a central depot does not exist, to provide bottled and pasteurised milk for their customers. Unfortunately some producer-venders think that there is a fortune to be made out of the margins allowed for the extra service, but this is not so, as it costs a good deal of money to erect a milk-treatment station and provide the necessary units of plant. This article by S. J. Cowen, Market Milk Instructor, Department of Agriculture, Palmerston North, in dealing with this subject, gives details of the experience of a young producervender in tackling the problem.

TN practically every case where a ■ r I ? i I J\ t £ eat + I ? ent^ Sta t l T haS be a started the throughput has increased so rapidly that the units of plant mstalled, have proved totally inadequate for the work required of them. The result is that long hours have to be worked with a very poor return on the basis of hours of labour. With the nresent organisation nrovided by the Dairy Division of the Department of Agriculture the approach to each individual’s problems can be dealt, with separately. Dairy Division officers help in making a survey of a whole district and from information collected can advise on the size of equipment to install.

In many small towns the remuneration will depend on the efficiency of the owner, his willingness to work, and, above all, his organising ability. The experience of a young producervender in a town with a population of about 5000 is given as an example, and may provide other operators of small milk-treatment stations with a useful basis of comparison. The producer-vender referred to started out in September, 1939, • with a round of 29 gallons per day. He got up at 2.30 a.m. to milk the cows and then in a room adjoining' the milking shed he filled and -capped, the bottles, which had already been, washed by hand. About December, 1939, a motordriven bottle-washing brush was installed, together with a hand capper

and a small direct-expansion surface milk cooler of a rating of 30 gallons per hour. In November, 1941, he shifted from the farm into town and installed the plant in a room, 16ft. by 16ft., in which space a cool-storage room, 4ft. by 3ft., with cooling unit was included. The output was now about 40 gallons per day, but in relation to this figure was the fact that about this time a number of very small producer-venders gave up their rounds and the milk was bottled at the depot. In 1942 the cooler capable of 30 gallons per hour was replaced by a unit of 60 gallons per hour of the same type and a 4 h.p. vertical boiler was installed together with a 2-bottle hand filler and capper. In 1944 a 10ft. lean-to was added to the existing building, thus making the dairy 26ft. by 16ft., and at the same time a new cool-storage room, 7ft. by 6ft., was constructed and the refrigeration units installed in the old room. A 150-gallon batch pasteuriser of American manufacture was installed, the daily output now being 100 gallons. Extensive Alterations Early in 1945 pasteurisation of milk for the town trade was initiated. It was quickly found that the 4 h.p. vertical boiler was too small, so it was replaced by an 8 h.p. portable boiler which was installed in a special room erected against the back of the existing building. - This new boiler room was 25ft. by 9ft. with a wood-drying and storing room, 25ft. by 4ft. . A further section, 26ft. by 20ft., was also added to the main dairy building, giving a processing space of 36ft. by 26ft. The cool-storage room was increased in size by 9ft. by 6ft., giving an oblong room, 16ft. by 6ft., inside measurements, with a door at each end. A new Australian bottle filler rated at 300 gallons per hour was installed, together with a new milk cooler and suitable refrigeration units capable of

cooling just over 220 gallons of milk per hour from 145 degrees F. to 40 degrees F. The cooler was made with pear-shape tubes sft. in length. The two top sections of the cooler have 7 tubes each with a separate water inlet and outlet, while beneath them are two direct-expansion sections, the top one containing 8 tubes and being connected direct to a 3 h.p. compressor unit, the bottom section comprising a set of 6 tubes and being connected direct to a 2 h.p. compressor unit. A rotary spray-type bottle washer was also installed with a rated capacity of 200 gallons per hour. The bottles are washed as they are returned off the rounds. , In 1947 a milk-reception platform, 15ft. by 9ft., was erected and a set of milk-weighing scales. installed. A steam turbine centrifuge was installed at the same time together with other equipment to carry out butterfat tests, while a methylene blue bath for reductase tests, a sediment tester, and a lactometer for solids-not-fat tests were also acquired and put into use. These provided the basis for a satisfactory range of tests to be carried out on the incoming milk. By February, 1948, the last loose milk vender in the town arranged to have his. milk bottled and to provide his customers with pasteurised milk where required. By July, 1949, all the milk required for the town was bottled and by this time the daily throughput had risen to 500 gallons. Increase in Throughput Owing to the increase in throughput, it became evident to the owner that in the interests of efficient management he should separate the operation

of the milk-treatment station from his vending rounds. This arrangement took effect in July, 1948, and since that date the station has been operated separately by the owner and one assistant. The' first • load of milk arrives at the milk -treatment station between 7.30 a.m. and 8 a.m. A fire is put on the boiler about 7 a.m. and a full head of steam is ready to heat the first batch of milk. It takes, about 15 minutes for the temperature to be raised to 145 degrees F. and the milk is held at this temperature for 30 minutes before it is pumped over the cooler, capable of handling 220 gallons per hour, and filled into the washed and sterilised milk bottles. The rate of flow is governed by the cooler and for this reason it takes about f hour to empty the batch of 150 gallons so that the complete treatment of this quantity takes II hours in all for the three jobs of filling the batch, heating and holding the milk, and emptying and cooling it. As the filler can fill faster than the cooler operates, one person can operate the machine quite satisfactorily, and at the same time take the filled crates into the cool room. Pasteurising Process Two batches of milk are pasteurised each day, 3 hours being required to do just over 300 gallons. The remaining 200 gallons are chilled and bottled as raw milk and the whole day’s work is completed by midday. It will be noted that only one man is mentioned; the other looks after the job of receiving the milk and grading, sampling, and recording .the milk weights. He also

washes the cans and the dirty, bottles and looks after the boiler. The whole operation of the milk-treatment station is thoroughly organised and the work performed by the owner and his assistant is carefully integrated so that they are both working to the fullest advantage. The fact that the work is completed by midday means that the owner has time to keep the premises spotlessly clean and the plant in good working order. By putting in another batch pasteuriser the time lag between the first and second pasteurising process could be eliminated so that an increase of 200 gallons a day in the throughput could be easily handled without any extra time being worked. ; The building is not elaborate, but the first small building was so placed that extensions could be added later without interfering with the operation of the plant. Because of the foresight shown by this dairyman the units of plant installed were large enough to give full-time employment for the two men operating the plant. Suppliers to Dairy There are 14 registered suppliers to the dairy and each one takes a pride in the quality of milk he provides. The owner of the treatment station, while maintaining such co-operation, fulfils his own responsibility by maintaining the highest possible standard of efficiency and cleanliness in the dairy itself, the premises being always spotlessly clean and painted and a credit to all connected with the milk industry in the town. The venders of milk from the station provide their vehicles with properly constructed covers so that they also do their part in maintaining the high standard of the milk. In short, the work of farmers, carriers, treatmentstation operators, and venders in the town synchronises perfectly in the supply to the local residents of highquality milk. Persons interested in the installation of a processing plant should keep in mind that small units of plant give a very . small return for. the hours worked, but that capital costs per gallon handled decrease as the quantity handled increases. For this reason one large plant in a town is more economical than two small ones. Correct selection of plant for processing the throughput is essential, the choice of suitable and adequate premises being equally important. The • site for the building should be of ample size and allow for good drainage, with good accessibility and an adequate supply of good water. The establishment of a new milktreatment station or the replanning of an existing one is a specialised undertaking, and dairymen contemplating such a project are well advised to discuss their problems with the local officer of the Dairy Division, Department of Agriculture, at as early a stage as possible. Milk processing in a small milk-treatment station is no short-cut to wealth, but sound advice can minimise some of the more restricting hazards which so easily lead to heavy financial set-backs.