Dairy processors have long relied on pasteurization, which applies mild heat to a product for a set amount of time, to eliminate pathogens and extend the shelf life of products. Unfortunately, the process can negatively impact the sensorial and nutritional aspects of the product.

Sonoma County, California, might be famous for its many wineries and picturesque redwood trees, but it's also home to a number of impressive dairy processing operations. One such operation, tucked into the small town of Sebastopol, is a creamery operated by Redwood Hill Farm & Creamery.

Which plant will be Dairy Foods' 2019 Dairy Plant of the Year? Will it be a large cheesemaking operation headquartered in Iowa or a family-run ice cream plant based in Ohio? Those are just two of the 13 dairy plants that are in the running for Dairy Foods' 2019 Dairy Plant of the Year.

2019 is a big year for Turkey Hill Dairy's Conestoga, Pa., plant: It's the year it became one of the first major ice cream or ice tea facilities to be run on 100% renewable energy.

Suppliers to the dairy processing industry showcased new offerings at the 2019 ProFood Tech trade show.

Constantine, Mich., bills itself as the "seed corn capital of the world," producing more than 10% of the United States' supply. But this Southwest Michigan town hasn't completely "gone to seed." It also lays claim to a dairy processing powerhouse operated by the Novi, Mich.-based Michigan Milk Producers Association (MMPA).

Pumps are widely used within dairy processing facilities to transfer liquids, gases and slurries by mechanical action. Valves, meanwhile, control the flow of such products via opening/closing different passageways.

Schreiber Foods (Schreiber) is among the largest privately held companies in the United States. The dairy processor ranked No. 74 on Forbes' 2018 "Americas' Largest Private Companies" list and posted $5.2 billion in revenues in 2018.

Visitors to Schreiber Foods' Fairview cheese converting plant in Carthage, Mo., can't help but be a bit awestruck. The sheer size of the facility, 330,000 square feet largely dedicated to converting operations and another 140,000 housing a distribution center, is certainly impressive. But the high level of automation found within the various departments is perhaps even more remarkable.

ProFood Tech, the biennial trade show that showcases new technologies and innovative solutions in the food and beverage processing sector, will take place on March 26-28, 2019, at McCormick Place in Chicago.