-October 6,2019-
A complete dispersal auction of the Giacomazzi Dairy near Hanford is set for October 25 hosted by AM Livestock Auction. Operated by 4th generation owner Dino Giacomazzi the 2000 head dairy has been in business for 126 years, the oldest dairy west of the Rockies.
The sale includes 1000 cows and 1000 heifers. The dairy has won numerous awards for high quality and is affiliated with Land O’ Lakes.
Dino Giacomazzi explains that the “past 10 years have been difficult for dairying.” The family made a decision as far back at 2013 to plant trees on 400 acres of land they own and those trees are starting to reach maturity. In the meantime “we’ve had four straight years of losing money in the diary business and now seems like the right time to plant more land to trees.”
“All our costs are going up and the only way to keep dairying was to invest in a major expansion – double our size” which the they decided not to do, he says.
With milk prices up a bit this fall for the first time in years he figures “this may be a favorable time” to market the cows.
“We’re not selling the property and I plan to stay on and keep farming.”
“Maybe the farm will still in business another 126 years” he jokes.
Dino has two young boys who like himself at that age show little interest in a tough life of dairying- more excited about video games.Dino himself moved away from the family farm for years being in the music business in the Bay Area and doing some software work before returning to the Hanford dairy when his father got sick.
“It’s 18 years later and I am still here.” He adds the family will stay involved withe dairy community and their activities include his mom with the Dairy Princess program.Dino is active in farm groups including Kings County Farm Bureau.
The well known Hanford dairy was visited by Ag Secretary Sonny Perdue last year around Farm Show time. Ironically a few days ago Perdue got in some hot water talking about how small farmers have to get big or “get out.” Perdue made the remarks in Wisconsin who like California has seen lots of dairies throw in the towel.
Wisconsin, called America’s Dairyland on their license plates, has lost 551 dairy farms in 2019 after losing 638 in 2018 and 465 in 2017, according to data from the state.
CDFA say Kings County had 165 dairies in 2005 but just 107 as of 2017.
Indeed, Giacomazzi has seen his neighbor dairies quit in recent years offering commentary when nearby friend Brian Medeiros dairy closed last year.
In the Hanford paper he pointed out “A dairy is the most difficult thing you can do,” said fellow Hanford dairyman Dino Giacomazzi.Medeiros said that last summer, a labor shortage made it hard to fully staff his dairy with effective workers.He called the labor problem “probably the straw that broke the camel’s back.”
Seeing Medeiros and Son bow out has other local dairy operators wondering who else might be tempted to call it quits.
“I’ve always admired and respected the way [Medeiros and his parents] have treated their operation,” Giacomazzi said. “It’s just unfortunate that under a certain climate, people who do this as well as they do feel like they can’t continue doing it. That’s the sad part.”
Giacomazzi said that the dairies that have survived up to now – dairies like his and Medeiros’ – have already become super-efficient, which leaves little room for further belt-tightening to offset the increasing cost of complying with multiplying regulations.