June 3, 2016
CapitalPress.com
13
North Coast dairyman adds social media to mix
Fifth-generation California
dairyman Cody Darst says his
family has a joke that explains
why they raise Jersey cattle.
“The joke is we raise Jer-
seys because when they step
on your foot they are small
enough that you can quickly
shove them off,” he said. “Jer-
sey cattle are the preference of
the family as well as tradition,
knowledge of mating selec-
tion and familiarity.”
The farm, on Califor-
nia’s northern “Lost Coast”
near Ferndale, was start-
ed 91 years ago at the cur-
rent 120-acre location by
Darst’s
great-great-grand-
father. Through those years
the family has continuously
maintained a purebred Jersey
herd even as it adapted to the
changing markets and indus-
try.
Nine years ago the family
made the transition to certi-
fied organic, allowing them
to capture a higher price point
and providing financial sus-
tainability for the family’s
legacy.
Many of the farm’s prac-
tices continue the traditions of
the region, making for a par-
ticularly easy transition to or-
ganic agriculture. In addition
to the organic certification the
farm maintains several other
certifications, including Veri-
fied Non-GMO and Certified
Humane.
“I grew up on the family
dairy just as my father and
grandfather did before me and
worked alongside them each
day in the barns,” he said.
Today, the farm and herd
are owned in a partnership be-
tween Darst and his parents.
The “Foggy Bottoms”
herd usually consists of 120
head milking with additional
young stock and dry cows.
Currently they milk 105 head,
due to the drought in Cali-
fornia. Faced with escalating
feed costs they made the de-
cision to downsize the herd,
culling the lowest-producing
cows and freeing up pasture
land for hay.
Darst also removed 10
acres from pasture rotation
and planted alfalfa. With the
exception of the grain ration
they were able to carry the
herd through the past two win-
ters without purchasing feed.
“The Jersey herd earns it
name from the valley we live
in,” Darst said. “Nestled in
the Eel River Valley along the
coastal range, the area is col-
loquially known as the Foggy
Bottoms” because of the fog
banks that roll in off the Pa-
cific Ocean.
He also decided to keep
the name for their Facebook
fan page name — “Foggy
Bottoms Boys.”
The dairy sells its milk to
Rumiano Cheese Co. in Cres-
cent City, Calif., where it is
processed into organic cheese,
butter, whey protein and dried
edible lactose.
Rumiano Family products
can be found in all 50 states
and 10 countries.
Although he would recom-
mend dairy farming to oth-
ers, he admits there are some
souring challenges.
“Certainly the growing and
often suffocating regulatory
burden faced by dairy farmers
in California is a monumental
challenge,” he said. “We have
come to depend heavily upon
our trade associations such as
Western United Dairymen to
help us navigate these waters
and remain within compli-
ance.”
However, he said that is
only part of a much larger is-
sue.
“The consumer has be-
come far removed from the
food supply and with the
accessibility of information
(both good and bad) they
have become largely misin-
formed,” he said. “Coupling
this with the fact that as an in-
dustry we have until recently
been largely reactionary, we
now face a public with an of-
ten poor perception of us. This
seems to translate to increased
regulation as people attempt
to defend against what they
perceive as a threat to their
health and environment.”
Realizing this, Darst has
attempted to open up to the
public through social media.
“Utilizing Instagram and
Facebook, we chronicle the
daily life on our dairy com-
bining a bit of humor and
fun with the realities of dairy
life,” he said.
Fifth-generation
farmer Cody Darst
raises Jersey cows
on California’s North
Coast. He chroni-
cles daily life on the
dairy using social
media.
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D16-4/#17
For the Capital Press
D16-2/4x
By JULIA HOLLISTER