12 CapitalPress.com
June 2, 2017
Platt’s Oak Hill Dairies grow, diversify
For the Capital Press
Jack Platt’s dream was al-
ways to own a dairy, some-
thing that’s difficult to do in
Southern California, where he
was raised.
Now he owns two.
He married Marilyn in
1975 and within a few years
moved to Corvallis, Ore., and
started a dairy on 25 acres
with 150 first-calf heifers.
Nine years later, in 1987,
they moved to Independence,
Ore., where they bought 100
acres and milked 350 cows.
Today Platt’s Oak Hill
Dairy milks 1,600 cows three
times a day and raises its own
replacement heifers.
“There are just so many
variables in the price of milk
and the cost of feed that we
have virtually no control,”
Jack said. “That’s why we
grow as much of our own feed
as possible to help control our
production costs.”
In 2004, the Platts took a
deeper plunge and started an
organic dairy in nearby Turn-
er, Ore. Organic was growing
fast and it seemed a good time
to diversify.
Managed by Tim Baker,
the Turner dairy milks 1,000
cows three times a day and
farms 2,400 acres in Turn-
er and at its heifer facility in
Klamath Falls.
Baker gets nervous when
rain persists, delaying plant-
ing and the day the cows can
be let into pasture. The USDA
requires organic cows get at
least 30 percent of their dry
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intake from pasture grazing at
least 120 days a year.
They’ve also had to find al-
ternatives to traditional medi-
cines including garlic oil for
infections and diatomaceous
earth for worming and doing
away with lice.
“These cows are athletes,”
Baker said. “In the summer
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Photos by Brenna Wiegand/For the Capital Press
Tim Baker checks in with calves at the organic side of Platt’s Oak Hill Dairies, which he manages. The
1,000-cow Turner, Ore., operation raises calves to 6 months before transferring them to its organic
heifer ranch in Klamath Falls. Ore.
David Wood, CCIM
John Lee, ALC
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By BRENNA WIEGAND
time the cows will walk two
to four miles a day going in
and out of pasture and have
lots of muscle. They are prob-
ably healthier than I am.”
In addition to the inspec-
tions required for convention-
al dairies, organic dairies are
subject to an exhaustive year-
ly certification.
“The audit can take two to
three days and involves ev-
erything from the seeds to the
feed to what we use to wash
the milking parlor walls —
all of that must be approved
before we can use it,” Baker
said.
A big part of their suc-
cess lies in their employees,
Marilyn Platt said, and while
managing people is one of the
most difficult parts of dairy
farming, some of their em-
ployees have been with them
more than 25 years.
“Communication is neces-
sary to keep employees happy
and motivated and need to
know they’re appreciated,”
Marilyn said. “They take
pride in their work and we try
to treat them how we would
want to be treated.”
Nevertheless, as in most
areas of farming, labor issues
have dairy farmers seeking
more automation in the milk-
ing process.
Baker, general manager of the
organic side of Platt’s Oak Hill
Dairies, in the milking parlor.
Everything from the crops that
are planted to what substance
is used to wash the milking
parlor walls must be approved
before use.
“Things have changed so
much; we used to be happy
with 50 pounds average per
cow and now we expect 90
pounds,” Jack said. “With all
the changes in genetics, nu-
trition and overall design of
facilities, I don’t expect it to
stop there.
“It has its ups and downs,
but we are proud to be part
of the dairy industry,” Jack
said. “Milk is still the purest
of foods, whether organic or
not.”
Field trips are helpful in
giving the public a taste of
how their milk is produced.
“We’ve always tried to run
an honest, ethical business
and we feel we’ve been bless-
ed because of that,” Marilyn
said. “The best part of dairy-
ing is being able to spend
quality time with our family,
watching our four girls grow
up and seeing our grandchil-
dren enjoy life on the farm.”