This summary of the video was created by an AI. It might contain some inaccuracies.
00:00:00 – 00:15:00
The video provides an in-depth look at Braum's Family Farm located between Tuttle and Minko, Oklahoma, highlighting its extensive land development and sustainable agricultural practices. Initially undeveloped, the 10,000-acre farm now includes essential infrastructure such as a private bridge and a lighted entrance road, all funded without government assistance. The farm efficiently manages diversified operations, including crop production of corn and alfalfa to sustain their dairy herd, and a feed mill that ensures high-quality, hormone-free feed.
Milking operations at the Tuttle Farm are continuous, supported by well-maintained freestall barns. Milk is swiftly transported to an advanced on-site processing facility where it undergoes pasteurization, standardization, homogenization, and packaging to ensure quality control. The facility also utilizes a unique mechanical vapor recompressor evaporator to enrich milk's calcium and protein content, which is essential in producing fat-free milk and high-quality dairy products like ice cream, butter, and yogurt.
The video further explores Braum's bakery operations, now housed in a new 240,000 square foot facility that operates 24/7 adjacent to the processing plant. This facility produces a variety of baked goods and ensures daily deliveries to Braum’s company-owned stores within a 300-mile radius, safeguarding product freshness. Braum's stores, divided into the fountain, grill, and Fresh Market departments, emphasize a farm-to-market model, offering fresh, exclusive products that cultivate customer loyalty.
00:00:00
In this part of the video, the focus is on the Brum Family Farm, situated between Tuttle and Minko, Oklahoma, encompassing 10,000 acres across both sides of the South Canadian River. The land was acquired over 30 years in various parcels, much of it initially undeveloped wasteland. Significant development efforts included riverbank stabilization, construction of farm buildings, and infrastructure development such as a 600-foot private bridge and a mile-long lighted entrance road. These were all financed privately without government funds, reflecting Brum’s free-market philosophy. The farm’s operations span multiple functions, including growing crops and raising and milking cows. Key crops like corn and alfalfa are grown, harvested, and used to feed the dairy herd, with the capacity to produce and store 240,000 tons of feed annually. The farmland employs sustainable practices, such as planting cover crops after corn harvest to protect the soil.
00:03:00
In this segment, the focus is on the process of producing and mixing the dairy herd’s ration at the Tuttle Farm’s feed mill, where grains like Milo, barley, soybeans, and corn are used. The farm sources corn from several states and roasts the soybeans to enhance digestibility. Managing their own feed mill allows them to cater to the herd’s specific nutritional needs and maintain control over the feed quality, adhering to their natural feeding practices without hormones or antibiotics.
Each day, around 40 calves are born and raised on Tuttle and nearby farms, eventually joining their respective milking herds. Bull calves are raised separately, while heifer calves mature on supplemental feed on pasture. Cows, after calving, produce milk and join the milking herd, are milked for 300 days, and then rested until they calve again.
Tuttle Farm houses a major milking operation where milking is continuous, with breaks only for cleaning. Cows are held in 17 freestall barns and milked in a barn designed for efficiency and cow comfort, where 800 cows are milked every 32 minutes. The milk is quickly cooled and stored in large silos before further processing.
00:06:00
In this segment of the video, the process of transporting milk from the dairy farm to the processing plant is described. The cows are milked and their milk is hauled several times daily to the nearby processing facility. The cows either rest and feed on pasture or are brought back to freestall barns, where they have constant access to food, water, and clean bedding. The barns are maintained with fresh bedding and the floors are regularly cleaned. Manure is collected and processed through concrete slurry pits and stainless steel screens to separate fibrous material from liquid. The liquid is used as fertilizer for crops, reducing the need for chemical alternatives, while the solids are composted for use on cropland.
The video then transitions to the milk processing plant, emphasizing its state-of-the-art equipment and continuous operation. Raw milk is stored in stainless steel silo tanks, pasteurized, standardized, homogenized, and packaged in containers made on-site, ensuring high-quality control. Packaged milk is swiftly moved to cold storage rooms, ready for distribution.
00:09:00
In this part of the video, the focus is on the advanced processes used in milk and ice cream production at Brahm’s. The company uses a mechanical vapor recompressor evaporator (MVR) to remove 40,000 lb of natural water from the milk, enhancing its calcium and protein content, resulting in a better-tasting product. Their unique process allows them to label the fat-free milk as an excellent source of calcium and protein, despite the higher costs due to volume reduction.
Brahm’s milk is also used to create other dairy products like butter, cottage cheese, yogurt, sour cream dips, and notably, their acclaimed ice cream. Unlike most plants that use reconstituted powder, Brahm’s produces ice cream mix from fresh milk concentrated in their MVR evaporator. This mix is then pasteurized, homogenized, cooled, and moved to large tanks for freezing. The ice cream goes through freezers and additional processes where fruits, candies, and nuts are added before it is packaged in various formats—such as three-pint cartons and bulk containers for stores.
Brahm’s also uses a special Glacier machine for frozen snacks, producing items like ice cream sandwiches and bars. This machine extrudes real ice cream, which is knife-cut with a hot wire, ensuring a creamier and better taste compared to the liquid molds used by competitors.
00:12:00
In this part of the video, Braum’s explains the transition of its bakery operations to a new facility adjacent to their processing plant on the family farm in Tuttle. The 240,000 square foot bakery and warehouse distribution facility operates 24/7, producing various baked goods, including breads, cookies, brownies, and ice cream cones, which are shipped directly to stores daily. The warehouse also operates around the clock, loading semi-trailers every 12 minutes for product deliveries within a 300-mile radius to maintain product freshness and allow drivers to return home nightly.
Braum’s stores are all company-owned and divided into three departments: the fountain (for ice cream cones and shakes), the grill (for meals like hamburgers and salads), and the Fresh Market (offering dairy and bakery products, fresh meats, and produce). The company values the direct farm-to-market relationship with its customers, providing fresh, exclusive products that foster a loyal customer base.