North Coast dairy a green paradise for grazers – Cahill Dairy

In a fertile valley along the Eel River in Northern California, countless floods have laid down nutrient-rich soil that is now a paradise for grass and grazing animals. Just south of the river in the community of Ferndale is an organic, family-owned dairy that represents a new chapter in the region’s long history of farming and ranching.

Founded in the early ‘90s, Cahill Dairy is a true family business — Zach Cahill co-owns and manages the business with his father Chris, working closely with his wife Kayla and mother Lea to manage the farm’s herd and pastures.

Stretching back to the 1880s, this part of California’s coast has been home to a network of family-owned dairy farms that can graze their herds on pasture every day of the year. To hear Zach describe it, the farm’s green fields are the perfect place for about 600 Jersey cows to thrive.

“We don’t get extreme heat, extreme snowfall, we’re a mile and a half away from the ocean,” said Zach. “We have fertile soils, plenty of water. And the thing that’s really different with our milk shed in Humboldt County is the fact that we can graze 365 days a year, unless we have adverse weather like flooding or extreme rain.”

Finding a niche in organic dairy

Even in such an idyllic environment, the dairy industry has been challenging for local producers, especially as margins tightened and herds consolidated in the early 2000s. In response to lower margins for conventional milk and shifting consumer preferences, Zach’s father Chris transitioned the dairy to a certified-organic operation.

“Here in Ferndale, we were already doing the organic practices,” said Zach. “We were grazing cows, we were doing all the humane practices that go with these requirements. And for us, the cost of production was high because we don’t grow crops well here, so we had been importing feed.”

It’s a decision that has helped the dairy become more profitable and sustainable. More than 20 years later, Cahill Dairy has expanded to about 750 acres of owned and leased land, most of which grows perennial pasture. Cahill Dairy’s herd of Jerseys produces about 2,500 to 3,000 gallons of organic milk per day, which is sold to the Rumiano Cheese Company, based in Willows and nearby Crescent City.

Zach said given the farm’s location and climate, grass is by far the most cost-effective feedstock available, while delivering other benefits like carbon sequestration.

“For us, grazing is an essential part of the operation to make sure that we can get enough feed for the cows,” said Zach. “What used to be our Achilles heel — feed production — turned out to be our saving grace in terms of the organic niche, because our best feed and our cheapest feed is right outside of our doors.”

Jillian Santos grew up with Zach and now serves as the family’s relationship manager at American AgCredit. She said growing up with the Cahill family, and now seeing Zach with his daughter on the farm, has been rewarding on both a personal and professional level.

“I love seeing families work, generations side by side, and then continue to grow the business and grow the legacy and continue that legacy on,” said Jillian. “That’s one of my favorite parts of working with the Cahill family and being a relationship manager in this area.”

Dairy farming a lifestyle ‘you have to live to appreciate’

Zach and Chris say the dairy industry in Ferndale has not changed a whole lot since the 1800s. A modern dairy farmer pays careful attention to the land, grasses and herd of Jersey cows every day, rain or shine. For Zach, the dynamic nature of farming requires him to solve today’s challenges while making improvements for the future.

“Since I got home from college at Chico State, we’ve had a lot of improvements on the farm,” he said. “A lot of them have been going electric with our processes. For example, converting from a skid steer to a chain scraper has offset some of our diesel usage. We also handle our manure with the separator technology that’s more efficient with our labor as well as our greenhouse emissions.”

Taking a closer look at employee feedback, Zach has helped make improvements to the milking barn at Cahill Dairy that have allowed employees do their jobs more comfortably, leading to higher production and increases in retention.

“We built a milking parlor 5 or 6 years ago that was more efficient and friendlier for our milkers,” said Zach. “We looked at the big picture of what it’s going to take to retain employees. Making the environment conducive to employee comfort was a priority for us.”

Zach had no plans to return to Humboldt County, or to the family dairy business, after pursuing sports and an education at Chico State. However, he said that once he was away in college and had met Kayla, he began to realize how much he missed life on the dairy. Now that the couple has a three-year-old daughter and an 18-month-old son, Zach said he could not imagine a better lifestyle for him and his family.

“I realized how much I appreciated this lifestyle,” said Zach. “There are good and bad times on the operation, but at the end of the day, I get to work with people who I love. I love watching the cows out on grass and it’s a rewarding lifestyle. There are always challenges, but it’s a lifestyle that you really have to live to appreciate.”