Friday, June 3, 2022
CapitalPress.com
3
Hale Valley Holsteins: ‘Tillamook was the place’ for this family dairy
Brenna Wiegand/For the Capital Press
Ruby loves trailing her grandfather, Dave
Hale of Hale Valley Holsteins, on his dai-
ly rounds. The Tillamook, Ore., dairy was
started by Hale in 1970 upon his return
from Vietnam.
TILLAMOOK, Ore. —
Few dairy farmers have North
America’s 48th largest dairy
processor in their backyard.
After 52 years in the dairy
business, Dave Hale of Hale
Valley Holsteins says that,
aside from his family, situating
his farm in Tillamook County,
Ore., was the best move he’s
ever made.
Hale belongs to the Tilla-
mook County Creamery Asso-
ciation, a 75-dairy cooperative
headquartered in Tillamook,
serving on its board of direc-
tors the past nine years.
He was in high school when
his brother, a dairy farmer
in Northern California, was
drafted, and Dave helped cover
for him, milking morning and
night through his junior and
senior years.
After his brother got back,
Dave went to work for a heifer
replacement outfit until, a year
and a half later, his own draft
notice arrived. He spent all of
1969 in Vietnam and was dis-
charged in 1970.
Hale didn’t waste any time
going after a dairy of his own.
“Somebody told me if I
wanted a dairy, Tillamook was
the place,” Hale said. “I got out
in May 1970, bought the dairy
the end of June and was pro-
ducing milk by Aug. 1.”
At 22, Hale was the young-
est dairy farmer in the area,
which then had 440 dairies,
each milking an average of
30-35 cows.
“That was right about when
the new regulations started
coming in,” Hale said. “Every-
body had to go Grade A — no
more wooden barn floors or
milking in cans.”
Now 75 dairies dot Tilla-
mook County, each milking
about 330 head.
As Hale’s dairy grew, he
bought out several other farms
and now produces about 7.5
million pounds of milk a year,
most all of it going into Tilla-
mook’s famous cheese.
He milks 320 cows and
maintains 40 dry cows and 300
heifers and calves.
“Around here, we take great
pride in our quality and the
creamery rewards us with a
quality premium for that good
milk,” he said. “That’s how
we make quality ice cream and
quality cheese.”
Being paid well helps
make up for the challenges the
coastal area poses to the dairy
farmer, namely the rain —
90-100 inches a year requir-
ing longer manure storage and
delaying cows’ pasture access.
But the coastal climate is
perfect for the cows, and their
crops don’t lack for water.
Hale farms 450 acres,
including 120 acres in silage
corn; the rest is pasture.
“The last couple years we’ve
had one of the largest crops in
the county — close to 30 tons
per acre — and we don’t even
have to irrigate,” Hale said.
At a time when burn-out
runs high and some genera-
tional dairies reach an end,
Hale is grateful for his good
fortune.
“My sons Gary and Jason
are walking in my footsteps
and will take over when I
retire,” Hale said. “It will be
a challenge for them with all
the environmental and ani-
mal welfare issues, ag over-
time rules and the constant
documenting.”
“I’m extremely proud of my
kids and grandkids,” Hale said.
“The kids grew up in 4-H and
FFA and showed cows compet-
itively, and now my grandkids
are showing cows and calves
and loving it.
“It’s the most enjoyable time
in the summer when the grand-
kids come over to get their ani-
mals ready for the fair,” he said.
“It’s the highlight of our year.”
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