It takes muscle to compete in the Sonoma County Fair. Prince and Sheila E., two handsome young hogs at Bivalve Dairy, are on a fitness regimen, hiking every afternoon with their owner Eva Taylor ahead of next month’s contests. Eva said the hikes build strength and stamina for the show ring. On the Point Reyes Station dairy, new calves are learning to drink milk from a bucket, and Roomba-like robots are scraping out the barns. Manure is moved to a sediment basin and then a composting vessel. Eventually, the compost is spread onto pastures to boost the soil’s organic matter.
As the days lengthen and warm, the 30 horses at Five Brooks Ranch are almost finished shedding thick winter coats. A big project—replacing wooden paddock fences with metal panels for improved safety and durability—is finally complete. The paddocks also have new rubber mats and overhead sun-shade sails. The arrival of spring in Olema Valley is welcomed by manager Andrew Loose. “It’s getting nice,” he said. “It’s sunny, so everybody’s happier and more people come out. Business is picking up.”
The Dolcini Dairy is putting down the plow. This winter, instead of discing the soil, it tested a no-till seeding method, using a small drill to insert each seed, leaving the soil undisturbed. So far, it seems successful, said Jennifer Beretta, a fourth-generation dairy farmer. The new grasses—a drought-resistant brassica mixed with festulolium and clover—can be seen near Nicasio Reservoir. This year’s grazing season will be long, thanks to rain in early December and late April. Controlling Scotch broom and thistle continues to be a headache; because organic sprays aren’t economical, the dairy relies on a hand tool called Grandpa’s Weeder, which extracts the entire root. It’s tedious but effective.