It’s enjoyed in a glass, over a bowl of cereal, and it’s an Oreo cookie’s best friend.
Milk.
It’s a staple in most households. Yet those of us who drink milk probably don’t think much about how it gets to our table.
The farmer milks the cow, the milk is processed, transported to the local grocery store, where we buy it, bring it home, and enjoy it.
Along that journey, plastics play an important role. We refer to them as performance plastics — plastics that are durable, versatile, and made for repeated, long-term use.
Finger Lakes Extrusion makes flexible plastic tubing that is part of the milking equipment used on dairy farms throughout North America.
In fact, we are one of the largest producers of flexible thermoplastic tubing for the dairy industry.
How it works
Our milk tubing is used to help draw the milk from the cow while our vacuum tubing creates the suction and air pressure that enables the milk to flow into the storage tank.
As our production manager, Keith Ellsworth explains, “Our tubing is found within a foot of the cow and through to the final holding tank where the raw milk lands.”
We test our products in local dairy barns to ensure they perform at the highest levels.
Dairy tubing must also meet the highest standards of safety and cleanliness since it comes into contact with food.
Our products are formulated without ortho-phthalates, BPA, or PFOA/PFOS/PFAS, commonly referred to as “forever chemicals.” And our tubing can withstand the very rigorous clean-in-place process that cleans the milking equipment between cycles.
For the farmer, this helps reduce downtime, prevent contamination, and protect the long-term reliability of their equipment.
That’s the power of performance plastics on the farm.
Did you know?
Most dairy cows are milked two to three times per day and produce about six to eight gallons of milk.
Dairy cows are creatures of habit. They thrive on routine.
Just as cows rely on a regular schedule, the farmer relies on efficient, dependable milking machines to get the job done. Performance plastics play a big part in that.
What we also love about dairy farmers is their commitment to taking care of their land, their animals, and the environment. At Finger Lakes Extrusion, we share that passion for environmental stewardship and sustainability.
Let’s raise a glass of milk to our hardworking farmers and cows!