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 Meet Gordon Robinson. Gordon has worked as a dairy inspector for the Michigan Department of Agriculture for thirteen years. These photographs come from one sunny cool May day when Gordon made his daily rounds. Every day is different. Sometimes an emergency arises and Gordon must make a special trip to a plant or farm. Sometimes a farm has new construction and Gordon helps the farmer build things in ways that makes the milking of cows and transporting the milk to cooling tanks efficient.
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 Gordon arrives to inspect a dairy farm. He makes sure that he has the Grade A Pasteurized Milk Ordinance. This book has all the rules that must be followed to keep milk safe. |
 He also inspects the cows that give milk. |
 Gordon checks the huge tanks of the bulk haulers that carry milk from farm to plant. He also visits the plants where milk is pasteurized. |
 Gordon knows that a dairy farm that produces milk is a very complicated operation. |
 Gordon helps the farmers who run their farms so that the cows are comfortable and are kept clean and healthy. |
 Gordon is looking at the milking claw that removes the milk from the cow, checking to make certain it is clean and properly constructed. |
| Gordon looks at the milk reports to be sure that bulk haulers are picking up clean fresh milk from the farms. |
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 Gordon checks milking equipment and cooling tanks where milk is cooled. He makes sure that the cows are fed properly.
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 Gordon also uses his flashlight to look inside of tanks that hold milk and in all corners of the farms to be sure farms are clean and safe. |
 Milk is the product of these farms but water is the lifeblood. Gordon examines the water system of the farm. Not only do animals drink water but also water is used to cool the milk. (Milk comes from the cow warm—body temperature or 98.6 degrees.) Farmers also use lots of water to wash equipment, the milk parlor where cows are milked, and other places. |
 Gordon must have sharp eyes for his job. He must be sure that the cows are being milked the right way. The milk must be cooled and transported in a certain way. When the milk is pasteurized, Gordon must know all the steps. Gordon must be a good listener as he listens to what the farmer, bulk hauler or milk processor say about the job they do and the challenges they face. |
 In his job as dairy inspector Gordon is a “people person.” He works very closely with farmers to be sure they understand how to follow the rules. He talks to them about their families and their jobs. Gordon checks every dairy farm in his area at least twice a year. He knows the drivers of the bulk hauler trucks. The people at the milk processing factories know Gordon too. Sometimes he has to stop a farm, truck or plant from operating until the owner takes care of the problems. Usually Gordon is able to help people with small problems so that they don’t become big problems. |
| Gordon tromps all over farms and barns and fields wearing boots. A farm can be messy – especially in the rain and mud. Gordon washes his boots before he leaves. Dairy inspectors may visit several places during one day. That way the inspectors won’t carry any germs or mess from one farm to another. |
| Gordon has a family too and he cares about the quality of milk being produced. He is proud to know that when he and his family have cereal with milk for breakfast, eat a slice of cheese at lunch or drink milk together at dinner, that the milk is safe. It’s safe because Gordon and many others work hard to keep milk safe. |
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