Dairy refers to milk and all the foods made from milk, like cheese, butter, yogurt, and ice cream.

When you walk through the dairy aisle at the grocery store, you'll find refrigerated sections full of milk, cream, sour cream, cottage cheese, and dozens of varieties of cheese. All these products start with milk from cows, goats, sheep, or other milk-producing animals.

A dairy farm is where farmers raise cows specifically for milk production. Dairy cows are milked twice a day, every day, producing the milk that becomes all those products we use in cooking and eating. Modern dairy farms use special machines to milk cows quickly and hygienically, though farmers still need to care for their animals carefully to keep them healthy.

People also use dairy as an adjective to describe things related to milk products: dairy cattle, dairy products, or a dairy-based sauce. Some people avoid dairy because of allergies or dietary choices, so you'll see labels marking foods as dairy-free, meaning they contain no milk or milk products.