There’s an adage that says, “If you’ve seen one dairy, you’ve seen one dairy.” From different climates to facility types, to technology use, and even to the breed of cows, no two dairies are the same.
At GreenGold Dairy, in Nehalem, OR, the Cowan family embraced the mild Oregon climate, which provides green pastures most of the year. That allows Brad, Melody, Julian and Marika Cowan to operate a seasonal dairy, in which their 600 cows have access to about 550 acres of pasture for grazing; the animals are outside as much as the weather permits. The Cowans have found success with the approach, in which most of their cows are dried off in the winter, and peak milk production aligns with when the farm has peak feed and resources.
For Marika Cowan, producing “nature’s most perfect beverage” is the best job, and she hopes other farmers can be confident in their work and not be afraid to tell their stories to consumers, politicians, and fellow dairy farmers. “We’re becoming a smaller and smaller community, and being able to rely on each other to support each other, even if somebody is not doing things the way you would do them, is important,” she said.
For the rest of the GreenGold Dairy story or to view other stories in our Farmer Focus series, check out NMPF’s Sharing Our Story page.
