We have no quotas on production. Small farmers usually sell raw milk to processing factories, also could sell raw milk and diary to people locally. Large companies have their own processing of raw milk. Processed and packed milk then goes to distributors - groceries and supermarket networks. All milk above demand from distributors processed ito diary products - cheese, yogurts, cream, butter, really we have a lot more diary products I don't know how to name in English - кефир, простокваша, варенец, творог, сметана, ряженка and so on. I tried dictionaries, but translation usually unsatisfactory, mainly all ends with cheese/yogurt. So try to translate by yourself, but f.e. "kefir" is no way "yogurt" and "tvorog" is in no way "cheese" - different process, bacteria culture, taste and nutrients.
Also there is dried milk and condensed milk (сгущёнка) that is long-lasting products and part of state food reserve and also military food reserves that should be continuously restocked, since that products are long-lasting (up to 10 years), but are not eternal.
So, if milk market is full, excess milk here just processed into other products.
Of course there is a problems here and there, with buyout prices on raw milk, processing plants and large agricultural holdings trying to pay minimum to independent farmers, with attempts of monopolisation and takeover of holdings over independent farmers, strict quality control from state department with all that corruption, and so on, but we don't have any quotas on any agricultural production. May be famines of the past and times of deficit on USSR fall make throwing out good food kind of inapropriate behaviour or taboo for us. Even cases of destroying contraband, but decent quality food by customs (after the "countersanctions" of 2014 that limited some food import from Europe) rised a waves of indignation and such practice was either hid either terminated.
I'm glad that you mentioned 'Kefir', as that is what I was going to suggest when you stated that, ''you didn't know how to translate". We have a 100+ year old Kefir starter out of Russia, that our family labels as ''LIQUID GOLD!" (Sorry if that is a run on sentence)
Yes, you need raw milk to make most home-made diary. Pasterised milk or restored from dried milk usually sold in supermarkets will not work in most cases.
You hardly will be able to make even tvorog from processed milk with long shelf life. Tvorog translated as cottage cheese or dutch cheese, but it is somewhat different - instead of some special bacterial culture or animal ferment you put a piece of fresh sourdough rye bread into raw cow milk as a starter, it curdle into beads in day or two at home temperature, then you filter that curd with fabric and it is ready. Slightly sour milk is fine for making tvorog too, so it is a common way to use surplus milk that start to sour.
Home kefir starter culture is transferred from generation to generation in families here too. Interesting, that different lines of starter have different taste. Industrial kefir culture is standard so mass-produced kefir you usually buy in supermarket or grocery will be more or less same, but homemade or farmers kefir will have range of flavours.
We have no quotas on production. Small farmers usually sell raw milk to processing factories, also could sell raw milk and diary to people locally. Large companies have their own processing of raw milk. Processed and packed milk then goes to distributors - groceries and supermarket networks. All milk above demand from distributors processed ito diary products - cheese, yogurts, cream, butter, really we have a lot more diary products I don't know how to name in English - кефир, простокваша, варенец, творог, сметана, ряженка and so on. I tried dictionaries, but translation usually unsatisfactory, mainly all ends with cheese/yogurt. So try to translate by yourself, but f.e. "kefir" is no way "yogurt" and "tvorog" is in no way "cheese" - different process, bacteria culture, taste and nutrients.
Also there is dried milk and condensed milk (сгущёнка) that is long-lasting products and part of state food reserve and also military food reserves that should be continuously restocked, since that products are long-lasting (up to 10 years), but are not eternal.
So, if milk market is full, excess milk here just processed into other products.
Of course there is a problems here and there, with buyout prices on raw milk, processing plants and large agricultural holdings trying to pay minimum to independent farmers, with attempts of monopolisation and takeover of holdings over independent farmers, strict quality control from state department with all that corruption, and so on, but we don't have any quotas on any agricultural production. May be famines of the past and times of deficit on USSR fall make throwing out good food kind of inapropriate behaviour or taboo for us. Even cases of destroying contraband, but decent quality food by customs (after the "countersanctions" of 2014 that limited some food import from Europe) rised a waves of indignation and such practice was either hid either terminated.
I'm glad that you mentioned 'Kefir', as that is what I was going to suggest when you stated that, ''you didn't know how to translate". We have a 100+ year old Kefir starter out of Russia, that our family labels as ''LIQUID GOLD!" (Sorry if that is a run on sentence)
Oh and BTW - We ONLY make it with RAW milk!
Yes, you need raw milk to make most home-made diary. Pasterised milk or restored from dried milk usually sold in supermarkets will not work in most cases.
You hardly will be able to make even tvorog from processed milk with long shelf life. Tvorog translated as cottage cheese or dutch cheese, but it is somewhat different - instead of some special bacterial culture or animal ferment you put a piece of fresh sourdough rye bread into raw cow milk as a starter, it curdle into beads in day or two at home temperature, then you filter that curd with fabric and it is ready. Slightly sour milk is fine for making tvorog too, so it is a common way to use surplus milk that start to sour.
Home kefir starter culture is transferred from generation to generation in families here too. Interesting, that different lines of starter have different taste. Industrial kefir culture is standard so mass-produced kefir you usually buy in supermarket or grocery will be more or less same, but homemade or farmers kefir will have range of flavours.
Ty for the info. They say the mother\starter we HAVE Has hundreds if not thousands of healthy but undiscovered bacterias.