Essential Equipment for Small Dairy Farms: A Comprehensive Guide

By Dairy Farming Hut


Owning and operating a small dairy farm or micro-dairy requires time, money, and commitment, and striking a balance between the three can be challenging. Investing in the right equipment can help create that balance by improving your micro-dairy efficiency and maximizing your dairy output. The best way to do this with a limited budget is to invest in the right equipment.

Defining a Small Dairy Farm: From Micro to Small-Scale Operations

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What exactly constitutes a small dairy farm? The spectrum ranges from micro-dairies to larger small-scale operations. Let's explore the characteristics and motivations behind these ventures:

Understanding Micro-Dairies: The Smallest Scale of Dairy Farming

Micro-dairies represent the most compact form of dairy farming. Key features include:

  • Herd size: As few as 4 cows
  • Land requirement: Minimal acreage needed
  • Production scale: Suitable for local or niche markets

Motivations for Starting a Small Dairy Farm

Entrepreneurs venture into small-scale dairy farming for various reasons:

  1. Stepping stone: A "starter" approach to larger dairy farm ownership
  2. Part-time passion: Ideal for those with limited time but a strong interest in dairy farming
  3. Sustainable living: Supporting local food systems and sustainable agriculture

Equipment Essentials for Small-Scale Dairy Operations

While small in size, these farms rely heavily on proper equipment:

  • Milking machines: Scaled for small herds
  • Milk storage: Compact bulk tanks
  • Processing tools: Small-batch pasteurizers and separators

By understanding the scale and requirements of small dairy farms, aspiring farmers can make informed decisions about equipment, livestock, and operational strategies.

Must-Have Equipment for Small Dairy Farms

Starting or operating a small dairy farm requires careful selection of essential equipment. The following list covers the core machinery and tools necessary for efficient milk production, processing, and farm management. Each piece of equipment plays a crucial role in ensuring quality milk production, maintaining safety standards, and optimizing farm operations:

  1. Milking Machine
  2. Pasteurizer
  3. Homogenizer
  4. Cream Separator
  5. Chaff Cutter
  6. Temperature Chart Recorder
  7. Milk Tank
  8. Packaging System
  9. Milk Pumps
  10. Tractor / Front Loader

In the following sections, we'll explore each of these essential pieces of equipment in detail. We'll discuss their functions, importance in dairy farming, and factors to consider when selecting the right model for your small dairy farm. Additionally, we'll highlight popular brands for each category to help guide your purchasing decisions.

Milking Machines: The Heart of Dairy Operations

A milking machine may not be necessary if you plan to milk your cows by hand; however, adding machines into your dairy can speed up production and free up your time for other duties.

It takes between five and seven minutes to milk each cow using a portable milking machine, so with a small herd, this is a cost-effective milking solution. Something like an eight-gallon bucket milker will do the job nicely.

A bucket milker has a bucket with a lid, a vacuum pump, a pulsator, and a claw. The pump connects to the milker with a vacuum line, and as the cow gets milked, the bucket fills. Depending on the amount of milk produced, an eight-gallon bucket can hold milk from one to two cows.

However, a bucket milker may not be adequate for larger herds, and you may need to invest in a more robust option.

The average cost for a good bucket milker is between $200 and $400.

The average cost for a milking parlor machine for six cows is between $1,200 and $1,500.

Popular Milking Machine Brands

  • Lely
  • DeLaval
  • GEA
  • Melasty
  • Vevor
  • Hantop

Here are some milking machines on Amazon that we recommend for small and medium sized dairy operations.

Pasteurization Equipment: Ensuring Milk Safety

Pasteurization is crucial to food safety, and since 1973, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has required that only dairy products that get pasteurized get distributed interstate.

Dairy products that do not get pasteurized can carry bacteria like E. coli, Salmonella, Campylobacter, and Listeria. Unpasteurized products are called “raw.” Raw dairy products are legal in all U.S. states; however, they can cause severe illness, they are discouraged.

A milk pasteurizer can cost anywhere from $500 to $5,000. The cost depends on whether you purchase a milk pasteurizer only or a multi-functional machine like a pasteurizer, cheese, and yogurt kettle.

Popular Pasteurizer Brands

  • Milky
  • SafGard
  • Kleen Flo
  • ELEA
  • Tetra Pak
  • Microthermics

Check out these pasteurizers that are suitable for small to medium sized dairy farms

Homogenizers: Achieving Consistent Milk Quality

Homogenization is often confused with pasteurization, but these are two different processes. Homogenization comes after pasteurization. While pasteurization makes dairy products safer, homogenization makes them have a better taste and consistency.

A homogenizer breaks down the fat molecules in milk to create a uniform consistency throughout and stop the fat molecules from separating. 

Without homogenization, your milk forms a thick layer of cream at the top – something older generations may recall from the days of milk delivery.

Homogenizers get used for a range of dairy products, including milk, yogurt, and cheese.

A small dairy homogenizer can cost anywhere from $600 to $3,000, but a full commercial unit costs over $20,000!

You may also want to read our post about types of homogenizer and its functions.

Popular Homogenizer Brands

  • GEA
  • Krones
  • Tetra Pak
  • SPX FLOW
  • Alfa Laval
  • Feldmeier
  • HOMMAK
  • Microfluidics

Milk Separators: Diversifying Your Dairy Products

A milk or a cream separator is a device that separates the cream from the milk. Once separated, you end up with two products: cream and skimmed milk.

Separators come in various forms.

The hand crank separator requires you to do everything manually. Unless you are running a very small dairy, this isn't the most practical option. A hand crank or manual separator will cost you around $300.

The electric cream separator spins the milk, and the centrifugal force separates the milk and the cream. A smaller electric milk separator that can handle two and a half gallons at once and process approximately twenty-one gallons per hour will cost around $350.

Check out our buyers guide covering the best Milk Separators available in the market.

A larger electric cream separator to accommodate more separation per hour will cost between $700 and $1,000. A price of just under $1,000 should get you a separator that can process approximately thirty-four gallons per hour.

Popular Milk Separator Brands

  • Milky
  • Motor Sich
  • GEA Westfalia Separator
  • Alfa Laval
  • Tetra Pak

Check out milk and cream separators that are ideal for small dairy farms.

Check out our recommeded Dry-Wet Straw Cutter Forage Crop Crusher that are ideal for small dairy farms.

Temperature Monitoring Systems: Maintaining Milk Freshness

A temperature chart recorder is an electric monitor that tracks and documents the temperature of your milk and your wash water temperature.

The temperature chart recorder has sensors that read the temperature of the milk or wash water. Those sensors report to the pen that records the temperature according to the reading it receives.

You can set the recorder to sound alarms at specific temperature thresholds so that you get notified of unhealthy temperature changes and improper washing processes.

The actual device that reads and records the temperature of the milk and water is called a "circular chart recorder." A circular chart recorder can monitor a range of measurements (for example, pressure or flow rate,) but of particular importance to you is the temperature.

It is important to have a quality temperature chart recorder because it ensures that your milk is cooled to the required temperature and stored at the required temperature to be of the best quality and safe for consumption.

A temperature chart recorder comes with a time-period rating to record for 24-hours at a time or even 7-days. For a 48-hour temperature chart recorder, you can expect to pay around $1,000. For a 7-day temperature chart recorder, you can expect to pay approximately $1,500. Additional chart papers for a temperature chart recorder cost approximately $50 for 180 refills.

Popular Temperature Recorder Brands

  • Endress+Hauser
  • Sensaphone
  • Testo
  • ThermoWorks
  • DeltaTrak
  • Mueller
  • Bulk Milk Tanks: Proper Storage Solutions

    You will need to invest in two types of milk tanks for your micro dairy – storage tanks and processing tanks. As their names suggest, one type of tank stores the milk, and the other actively process it.

    One example of a processing tank is the mixing tank. This is a stainless steel tank with an insulating jacket around it to maintain an accurate temperature while ingredients are mixed inside the tank by an agitator.

    A 30-gallon mixing tank costs around $3,000, whereas a 100-gallon tank costs around $4,000.

    An example of a storage/holding tank is a milk cooling tank. A milk cooling tank is a large storage tank that holds the milk while it cools. Once cooled, the tank keeps the milk at the appropriate temperature until a hauler comes to pick it up.

    Milk cooling tanks are most often made from stainless steel and a 14-gallon cooling tank costs around $2,000 where a 220-gallon cooling tank costs around $7,300.

    Popular Milk Tank Brands

    • Mueller
    • DeLaval
    • Boumatic
    • Dari-Kool
    • Westfalia
    • Packo
    • Serap
    • Roka
    • GEA
    • Milkplan
    Tank Mixing Tank With Agitator Liquid Heating Mixing Tank
    • The price is for reference only, finial cost will be different base on machine option and address.
    • The Homogenizing Mixing Tank, also known as the Nano-Dispersion Homogenizer, is a high-tech mixing and homogenizing equipment used for the production of nano-scale dispersions. It combines the functions of mixing, grinding, dispersing, and homogenizing to achieve ultra-fine particle size distribution and uniformity in the final product.
    • Nano-scale Processing: The liquid mixer is capable of producing nano-scale dispersions with particle sizes as small as a few nanometers.
    • High Shear Mixing: The sauce mixer inside the tank generates high shear forces, which help to disperse and homogenize the materials effectively.
    • Complete Process Control: The stainless steel tank comes with advanced process control features, allowing for precise control over temperature, pressure, and mixing speed.

    Milk Packaging Systems: From Farm to Consumer

    If you plan on packaging your own dairy products in any quantity, you will need to invest in a packaging system.

    In the case of dairy products, a packaging system usually incorporates a liquid dispenser and a capping mechanism. The packaging system then fills milk bottles and caps them or fills yogurt containers and seals them, etc.

    Before investing in a packaging system, it is important to know what products you want to produce. Different products require different elements to the packaging system. For example, yogurt pots need to be heat sealed where caps simply screw onto bottles. This means an additional investment for a heat-sealing controller on your packaging system.

    Industrial milk bottling machine in operation, filling white plastic bottles on a conveyor belt. The stainless steel equipment shows multiple filling nozzles and mechanical components inside a clear enclosure, demonstrating an automated dairy packaging process

    Milk Bottle Filling and Capping machine

    Popular Packaging System Brands

    • Tetra Pak
    • SIG Combibloc
    • Elopak
    • Evergreen Packaging
    • Scholle IPN
    • Serac Group
    • OYSTAR Group
    • Coesia Group (IMA)
    • GEA
    • Krones

    Check out our recommeded packaging systems.

    Milk Pumps: Streamlining Milk Transfer

    No matter the size of your dairy, if you plan on moving milk from one station to another (or one vat to another), you are going to need pumps to transport the milk.

    The milk pump moves the milk from an initial refrigerated storage tank to a processing tank, and then, once the milk is processed, it is moved from a processing tank to a cooling storage tank.

    Like the tanks used in the processing and storing, a milk pump should be made from stainless steel as this is the most hygienic material.

    A good quality pump is just as important as the quality of materials used to make the pump. Good quality means that the pump handles the milk gently while moving it quickly so the milk does not experience temperature changes that can alter the milk in any way.

    Milk pumps can range in power from high to low, range in size, and feature a single-phase pump or a multiple-phase pump.

    Pumps can range so much in design, features, and capacity that it can be hard to anticipate cost unless you know exactly what you are looking for. For example, a portable pumping station with an electric transfer pump can cost around $3,000, where a low-volume stainless steel liquid transfer pump costs around $1,100.

    Popular Milk Pumps Brands

    • Jabsco
    • Alfa Laval
    • SPX FLOW
    • Waukesha Cherry-Burrell
    • GEA:
    • Pentair Südmo
    • Q-Pumps
    • Fristam
    • INOXPA
    • Tuchenhagen

    Tractors and Front Loaders: Essential Farm Vehicles

    A tractor does not necessarily "fit in" with the dairy processing equipment we mentioned above, but it will be a necessity for you as a dairy owner.

    You do not necessarily need a full-sized tractor for a smaller-sized dairy, but some tractor will certainly come in handy.

    A reliable tractor is useful for moving bales of hay, tilling fields, and even working with your cows. However, as a micro-dairy, you do not need to invest in a top-of-the-line, recently released tractor model. You are just looking for something sturdy and reliable.

    Purchasing a tractor for your dairy can be expensive. However, many good financing and loan options can help to spread out the cost of the purchase.

    What features do you need in a tractor?

    While you may not need that pounding stereo system, you do need to look for the following features when buying your dairy tractor:

    • Does the tractor's ability match the terrain of your dairy and your intended use?
    • Does the tractor come with the "add-ons" that you need? For example, a tow bar.
    • Is the tractor gas or diesel-powered? Diesel tractors have a longer fuel-life than gas tractors, but gas tractors are more reliable to start in the morning!
    • How are the safety ratings for the model and year of the tractor that you are considering?
    • How comfortable is the tractor you are interested in?

    As a small dairy, you also want to be sure that you get a tractor with as many applicable uses as possible, so look for one with a front loader. Front-loaders are extremely useful on dairy farms!

    Just like cars, the prices of tractors can vary significantly depending on what you are looking for. Assuming, though, that you are a micro-dairy with limited funds, you can pick up an older used front loader for around $10,000 to $15,000. "Newer" model used front loaders will set you back around $22,000 to $35,000.

    Thinking of buying a new tractor? A new utility tractor can set you back between $80 to $100,000.

    Popular Dairy Tractor Brands

    • John Deere
    • New Holland
    • Case IH
    • Massey Ferguson
    • Kubota
    • Fendt
    • Claas
    • Deutz-Fahr
    • Valtra
    • McCormick

    Choosing the Right Equipment for Your Small Dairy Farm

    When selecting machinery for your small dairy farm, it's crucial to consider more than just cost or brand name. Here are some key points to keep in mind:

    1. Research specific models suited for small-scale operations
    2. Join online communities of small dairy farmers for recommendations
    3. Look for durability and long-term performance reviews
    4. Compare reviews from various sources to identify common praises or issues
    5. Balance brand reputation, cost, and usability for your farm's specific needs

    Conclusion: Making Informed Choices for Your Small Dairy Farm Equipment

    Choosing the right small dairy farm equipment is crucial for operational success. While renowned brands offer quality products, the best choices depend on your specific small-scale dairy needs. Thoroughly research each piece of equipment, from milking machines to milk tanks, and seek advice from experienced small dairy farmers. By carefully selecting small dairy farm equipment that combines reliability, efficiency, and affordability, you'll build a strong foundation for your dairy operation. Remember, the right equipment investment can significantly impact your small dairy farm's productivity and profitability in the long run.



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