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About Capital press. (Salem, OR) 19??-current | View Entire Issue (June 5, 2015)
4 CapitalPress.com June 5, 2015 Tillamook family embraces past and future TILLAMOOK, Ore, — While Levi Bennett is reach- ing to the past in reviving a fresh-milk bottling-and-de- livery trade from his Bennett Family Farm in Tillamook, Ore., his father, Norm, is look- ing to the future by introducing a robotic milking system at his nearby dairy, Valley Venture Farms. Levi, 28, and his wife, Courtney, 24, set up shop on the outskirts of the city about a 1 1/2 years ago and is produc- ing about 700 gallons of milk per week from his 50 or so Jersey milk cows. That might not seem to be a large opera- tion, but it’s his business plan that’s the revolutionary part of the enterprise. A 2010 article in Wired Magazine called milk in glass bottles “a specialty or niche market these days, and home milk delivery is pretty much a thing of the past.” But both concepts are thriving at Ben- nett Family Farm these days. “We’re small in compar- ison to everyone else, so we don’t go to the creamery,” Levi said. “We bottle our own milk (in glass bottles) and deliver it all to our 525 customers, 500 of which are homes.” He said he delivers about 1,400 to 1,500 bottles each week. Trioliet Solomix Dairy Cattle Feed Mixer Wagons AVAILABLE IN SIZES FOR EVERY HERD CALL OR COME IN TO SEE THE EXPERTS AT (541) 926-1811 Norm Bennett and his son, Blaise, check out the operation of their Val- ley Venture Farm robotic milking system. The farm is in Tillamook, Ore. He said that customer base takes in most of Tillamook County and a small area of Clatsop County. He, Court- ney and Norm do all the milk- ing and processing during the week and bottle the milk ev- ery other day. Levi does the deliveries on the other days. “Kinda what we’re shoot- ing for is the nostalgia of it,” Levi said. “Milk is the most wholesome product in the world. It has everything you need. “My goal is to be a sus- tainable farm and be a part of the community,” he said. About a mile west, across busy Highway 101, lies Val- ley Venture Farms, where Norm is at the other end of the dairy-production spec- trum with his own milking methods at the 120-cow dairy. Valley Venture Farms encompasses 270 acres, all owned by Norm and his wife, Dory. Their other son, Blaise, works with them at their farm, which added two DeLaval robotic milking machines a short while ago at a cost of nearly $500,000. “Each robot can handle about 60 cows a day,” Norm said. The Bennetts moved to the land in 1961, and have a daughter, Amber, who lives in Alaska. They have only one full- time employee now that the robotic systems are in place, whereas they had three em- ployees before. “It (the DeLaval system) pencils out as cheaper than the labor in the long run,” Bennett said. BEDDING SAWDUST Photos by Geoff Parks/For the Capital Press Levi Bennett cleans bottles in preparation for filling and delivery from his Bennett Family Farms fresh-milk delivery business in Tillamook, Ore. • 16-18 Unit Loads • TANGENT, OR • 541-926-1811 33599 Hwy 99E • SILVERTON, OR • 503-873-5355 812 McClain Street www.linnbentontractor.com D15-7/#5 Roger Bajema • Fresh Sawdust EQUIPMENT INC. Lynden, WA • Consistently Fair Pricing 360-354-4546 Cell 360-815-1383 0% Interest for 36 mos. Vermeer Tedders• From 18’ - 52’ Available • Preferred Pricing for Tillamook Dairies CALL TODAY FOR PRICING! 503-849-0216 • FOREST GROVE, OR (Limited time period.) • All hydraulic • New style teeth • Folds in seconds • Does 40 acres/hr • Goes down the road @ 60 mph Large Selection of Used Hay Equipment D15-1/#24 For the Capital Press D15-7/#T4D By GEOFF PARKS
