Can you imagine keeping 850 ladies happy?

Barbara Martin stands in her new "Dairy Goddess" cheese room.

Barbara Martin’s life is cows. The California mom lives in the San Joaquin Valley with her husband of 26 years and enjoys shopping, wine tasting, and pedicures, but she LOVES cows. Their farm milks 850 cows and works 365 days a year to provide the milk that goes into the butter on your dinner roll and whipped cream on your pumpkin pie you and your family will be enjoying this Thanksgiving.

With the historically low milk prices of the past two years, Martin and her family have had to get creative in order to keep their business going. In an attempt to gain control over the price they receive for milk, Martin recently scraped together money to begin making cheese under the “Dairy Goddess Cheese” label.

Regardless of the form her business takes, Barbara’s cows are the princesses of the operation. And they are treated accordingly. They have to be — happy cows make lots of milk. Any mother who has breast fed can attest to the fact that milk doesn’t come out if stress is involved. Cows can carry up to 40 pounds of milk in their udder at a time — and they can refuse to release it if they’re upset.

Cheese, just like milk, is monitored to be sure it's safe for you!

The dairy blood runs deep in Barbara’s family. Her daughter helps with marketing the cheese business and her son is applying for vet school and plans to run his practice on the dairy.

Did You Know?

Soy milk has more estrogen than cow’s milk! Hormones aren’t always the bad guys. The fact is that all food — plant or animal — has hormones since it was once living. In fact, there is more estrogen in cabbage and broccoli than beef. Oh, and all USDA Grade A milk, regardless of label claims, is antibiotic free. It’s tested several times before it hits the grocery store cooler, assuring that it’s safe and nutritious for everyone.

Baby calves receive individual care, similar to a baby nursery, to get a good start in life.

Consider This…

Dairy farmers work with their animals every day — you can’t do that unless you have a deep appreciation for cows. While many people worry about the mistreatment of dairy cows, such behavior doesn’t make much sense from a farmer’s perspective. “My earliest memories growing up are being outside with the cows,” reflects Martin. “Even though I was so very little I had no fear of these big ‘ladies.’ My dad taught us to respect and care for all animals.” Today, Martin spends a lot of time blogging about the moral obligation farmers have to animals. As a businesswoman, she knows that more milk means better business.

And it takes a lot of work to keep 850 cows happy.

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