- Hey, welcome back!

¡Bienvenidos!

[upbeat music] We don't have too many items left on my tray, just a few more.

So far during our quest, we've not only learned about the crunchy lettuce in my salad here, but we also found out about juicy sweet oranges and how they're packed full of superpowers to keep us healthy.

Aprendimos que esta naranja tiene superpoderes.

So, where will our food quest take us next?

Hm.

I know!

One of my favorite drinks: let's find out where my milk came from!

¿Vamos a ver de dónde viene la leche?

¡La búsqueda continua!

From farms to greenhouses, dairies to lunch trays, let's uncover how food travels from the farm to you on The Great Food Quest.

[playful music] (cows mooing) [lively music] ♪ - [Leo] Our food quest has led us to a farm that produces the number one agricultural product in California.

Do you know what it is?

Milk!

That's right.

And we're gonna see how it's done.

¡Vamos a ver como se produce a la leche!

This is Marvo Holsteins, a dairy farm in Lakeview, California and this is where milk is made.

[upbeat music] I get to talk to the dairy farmer, Michael Oosten.

He's a third generation dairy farmer.

That means his grandparents and parents worked as dairy farmers before him.

And now, his family continues to work on the farm and care for all of the cows.

El granjero Oosten y su familia cuidan todos las vacas aquí.

Come on!

Let's get a "mooove" on!

(cow mooing) [upbeat music] ♪ - Leo, good morning.

- Hey, good morning.

- My name's Michael Oosten, I'm a dairy farmer here in Southern California, and welcome to our farm.

- Thank you so much, Farmer Oosten.

I've never been around so many mooing guests!

I'm excited to be here.

I have never seen so many cows all in one place.

How many cows do you have here?

- Well, thank you for asking.

We actually have 2,500 milking cows here, and they're getting milked twice a day, every single day.

- Wow.

And so, do all cows make milk?

- Well, not all of them.

They actually have a baby, first.

Once they're about two years old, they have their first baby.

And after they have their first baby, then we go ahead and we milk them and they produce milk for about a year until they have their next baby again.

- [Leo] Like all mammals, cows produce milk after they have a baby, and this little guy was born just a few hours ago.

Baby cows are called calves, and in Spanish, we say "becerros" and Farmer Oosten let me feed him out of this big bottle that acts like his mom's udder.

¡Mira que lindo!

Como le encanta la leche y con esta botella que estoy usando creer que soy su mamá.

Farmer Oosten said that a baby cow is born almost every day on his farm, and he, along with his family and the other farmers, take care of them.

(calf bleating) Whoa!

Hey!

Guess this baby is still hungry!

Likes it, ¿qué no?

So, this seems like the perfect time to see how the farmers milk the cows so we can get more.

Vamos a ver como obtener leche de las vacas.

♪ This is where the cows get milked.

It's a milking parlor- sala de ordeña, donde se ordeñan las vacas.

Farmer Oosten said the cows like coming here because it feels good to them, like they're getting a massage.

It's actually very important for the cows to get milked because it helps to keep them comfortable and healthy.

Es muy importante poder ordeñar las vacas porque es bueno para la salud y ayuda a mantener las cómodas y alegres.

First, the farmers prep the cows for milking by squeezing the udders with their hands.

Then, they clean and sanitize their udder.

This milking parlor uses some cool technology and machines to milk the cows.

This is a milking machine.

Esta es la máquina que usan para ordeñar.

It attaches to the cow's udder and acts like a calf, gently sucking the milk out.

¡Mira!

See the milk coming out?

¿Vez la leche?

Esto se hace dos veces al dia.

And by doing this twice a day, it helps keep the cows healthy and gives Farmer Oosten plenty of milk to deliver.

Once the cow is all done, the milking machine stops automatically and comes off very gently.

Pretty cool, huh?

But where does the milk go next?

De aquí, la leche vieja a través de tuberías es almacena en un tanque refrigerado.

The milk gets transferred into this room through pipes.

It passes through a plate cooler that immediately cools it down so it keeps it safe for us to drink later.

Then, it continues through the stainless steel pipes into a big cooling tank that keeps the milk around four degrees Celsius.

That's about 39 degrees Fahrenheit.

That's pretty cold!

♪ - [Leo] All the milk that they're producing over the year, how does that get to my school?

- It gets picked up two to three times a day.

They pick up that truckload of milk fresh and they deliver it straight to the processing plant here locally in the Los Angeles area.

From there, they go ahead and bottle it and then put it in different packages, including your cartons that you'll see at your school or at the store.

And it'll be to you in less than two days, typically.

- So, when I'm at the grocery store, I see so many different types of milk.

What type of milk do the cows here produce?

- So, here we produce whole milk, and whole milk is one of our favorites.

It's just a great wholesome product.

- That's awesome.

Are there other things that we can create from whole milk?

- Yeah.

So, the milk truck picks it up here.

He takes it down to our local processor.

And from there, they turn the whole milk into cheese, as well as yogurt, butter, and one of our favorites, ice cream.

- How is milk important for our bodies?

- It has protein.

It has vitamins and minerals.

Also has calcium in it too, which, you know, helps make some strong bones, right?

- And so, after a cow has a baby and starts producing milk, how do we keep that cow fed?

What do they eat?

- Oh, great question.

So, here locally, we grow a lot of alfalfa hay that we cut fresh for them daily.

And then, we also have a custom-tailored diet for them that our nutritionist makes for them.

It consists of corn and a lot of other byproducts that we feed that come from other human food industries.

Like, for example, you get your orange juice; the orange juice goes to you, and the rinds, the oranges that are left, the peels, we take that and we feed that to the cows.

Along with, you know, some of the other ingredients, like, you know, the leftover bread that doesn't sell at the store.

We take those and we upcycle those to the cows and they love them.

They're delicious, as well.

♪ - [Leo] Hey, wait a minute.

Did you catch that word Farmer Oosten said?

Upcycling!

Or '¡supra-reciclaje!'

Upcycling means taking something old or leftover and turning it into something useful again instead of throwing it away.

Supra-reciclaje quiere decir que, en vez de desecharlo, se convierte en algo ultil, y se usa de nuevo.

So, let's look at how upcycling works on this farm, starting with how cows are fed.

Farmer Oosten grows his own crops and those crops go into the cow's food.

Check out this cool machine, a forage harvester, that chops up the alfalfa and ryegrass and spits them into a big truck.

Looks like it's pretty full.

Let's see where it goes next!

♪ The harvested crops go here where a big loader scoops them up.

This stuff has a lot of vitamins.

Las cosechas de esta granja tienen muchas vitaminas y se usan en la comida para las vacas.

The loader drops the feed into a really big mixer.

And guess what else is in there?

There's things like orange peels, almond hulls, and cottonseed.

Humans can't eat these, but cows can, and they love it!

And did you know that cows have four compartments in their stomach?

This helps them break down all the great things in their food.

♪ ¡Ah, Mira más alimentos en la mezcladora!

Wow!

Check out those mixing blades.

I never knew all of this went into feeding cows.

Have you ever seen something like this before?

It's like a super blender, and water is also being poured into the mixture, so it really blends things together.

That way, each bite for the cows is filled with a good mix of nutrients.

Okay, finally!

Feeding time!

¡Y parece que estas vacas tienen mucha hambre!

The mixing truck travels up and down the cow pens and drops off the food.

Y todo eso que comen las vacas se convierte en estiércol, que se usa para ayudar a las plantas a crecer.

♪ Todo lo que comen las vacas ayuda a completar el ciclo natural de la comida.

♪ - [Farmer Oosten] We do everything here from A to Z. We plant the crops.

We harvest the hay, feed it to the cows; the cows eat the hay, digest it.

And then, after they're done with it, they produce manure and we use that manure as a fertilizer.

And so, that fertilizer is then applied back to the cropland and then used to grow the crops here.

And then, we, again, in turn harvest those crops and feed it back to the cows.

We're creating a whole sustainable loop.

- So, you've told me a little bit about what the cows eat.

What do they do when they get thirsty?

What do they drink?

- We take the water here and we actually use it multiple times.

I mean, not only just for drinking, but we use the water to cool the milk.

And then, from cooling the milk, we use it to cool the cows and also for washing the cows.

And after that, the water comes down the drain and then we're not done with it yet.

We actually use that water to turn around and irrigate the crops with it.

- [Leo] Well, that's really important, especially for this area considering we're so close to the desert.

- Yeah, absolutely.

Water conservation is of utmost importance to us, and it's a big part of our long-term sustainability.

That's why we use the water as many times as we can.

- So, Farmer Oosten, tell me a little bit about yourself.

How do you enjoy being a farmer?

And tell me more about your farm.

- Yeah.

So, our family history goes way back.

We've been farming here in the Southern California area over 80 years.

And so, it was started by my grandfather, and he started milking 20 cows by hand, if you can believe that or not!

- I think it's so cool to hear that this is a family farm.

All these years later, how are you and your family still involved?

- We're getting up early every day at the crack of dawn, my wife and I, my kids, along with my employees.

We're out here feeding, milking, enjoying the sunshine and doing what we love.

You know, we always enjoy taking care of the cows just as well as they take care of us through the products that they produce.

- That's incredible.

So, Farmer Oosten, what's the most rewarding part of doing this job for you?

- It's just very satisfying to take something from a seed, put it in the ground, harvest that crop, feed it to the cows, and then seeing that cow live, survive and thrive off of it, and then produce food that we can all enjoy.

♪ - [Leo] ¡Wow!

Así que el granjero Oosten viene de una larga línea de granjeros lecheros.

¡Por más de 80 años!

Comenzaron con solamente 20 vacas, que se ordeñaban a mano, y ahora Marvo Holsteins tiene más de dos mil vacas!

[bright music] Farmer Oosten said these cows are like family pets.

They take care of them to make sure they're happy and healthy.

Dairy farming might have looked different when Farmer Oosten's grandfather started over 80 years ago.

But now, modern tools and technology help care for the animals and provides us with even more healthy, nutritious milk.

[bright music] ♪ - Leo, we'd like to thank you again for coming out to our farm on your quest, and because of all you've done for us and teaching all these kids all this great information about our dairy farm and all the things we do here, I'd like to present you with this badge.

- Another badge!

Thank you so much!

My milk badge!

Thank you so much, Farmer Oosten, for having us here and for allowing us to explore your farm and to learn more about the nutritious milk that your cows produce.

It's been such a great time.

Thank you.

- You're welcome.

Come back anytime.

- Thank you very much.

[bright music] ♪ - [Leo] Farmer Oosten and his dairy farm really taught me a lot about milk.

I earned my milk badge, and I even got this cool T-shirt!

Milk travels from cows on a farm to your school in just one to two days.

¡Bien rapido!

And that means it's really fresh when you get it.

Cows are helpers, too.

They upcycle and eat the food people don't, reducing waste and creating nutritious milk from it.

We can't forget about the dairy farmers either, and everything they do.

¡Que bien cuidan todas las vacas!

They are caretakers who care for the cows, land, water, and energy every day.

Remember, milk is a whole food, meaning it helps build strong bones, teeth, muscles, and gives us energy for play and more.

Next time you have some milk, remember, it takes a lot of work from the cows, the farmers, and a lot of care to get into your carton.

I can't wait to see what's next on our quest!

¡Hasta la próxima!

[steady drumbeat] - [Leo] It's time for our Quest Quiz.

[drumroll] What is it called when cows eat food people can't eat, and turn it into a new nutritious food?

A, upcycle; B, recycle; or C, life cycle?

♪ Did you say A?

Great job!

It can be a little tricky remembering the difference between recycling and upcycling, but when you recycle, old items are broken down to make brand new things, whereas upcycling doesn't destroy or break down the original items.

It upgrades them and transforms them into something new.

Next question: How long does it take for milk to get from the farm to you?

A, two to three years; B, one or two days; or C, three to four months?

♪ That's right!

It's B. The milk has to stay fresh, and so it is delivered to us quickly.

It's amazing that it gets to grocery stores and schools so fast.

I never would have guessed!

Okay, last one: What is one way the nutrition from milk and dairy foods can help your body?

A, build bones; B, strengthen teeth; C, give energy; or D, all of the above?

Yep, you guessed it!

D!

Milk does all of those amazing things.

Pretty cool, right?

[bright keyboard music] ♪ ♪ ♪