Beretta Family Dairy Sonoma County
Striving for a lasting legacy Doug Beretta, who started milking cows on the dairy at a young age, leads the next generations at the Beretta Family Dairy, while carrying on the legacy started by his grandfather. Beretta Family Dairy is a 100% certified-organic dairy with 300 milk cows and 400 heifers. As a pasture-based dairy, the family manages 400 acres at the home ranch and 120 acres on which the family raises heifers. They lease an additional 150 acres of public land for grazing. “Conserving is something we do every day. You just do your job and implement projects as they come up and think, this may be neat for the dairy,” Jennifer Beretta says. “It is really neat to be recognized (with this award) and know that you did a good job.” The family’s conservation efforts include an automatic scraper and separating system that allows them to compost dried manure solids. The compost is applied to pastureland to improve soil health and used in the barn for cow bedding. These practices help the dairy reduce its carbon footprint by sequestering carbon and reducing fuel emissions, while also cutting costs. “My grandfather built the first manure ponds on this ranch in 1968, before the Clean Water Act, because he knew that by capturing manure, he had fertilizer to put back on the ground,” Doug Beretta says. “It means a lot to me to be that kind of an innovator.” By using compost for animal bedding instead of river sand, the Beretta family has noticed an increase in cow comfort and cleanliness. “The cows love the bedding and our foot trimmer noticed a difference in our cows’ feet,” Jennifer Beretta says. The Berettas have partnered with the city of Santa Rosa since the early 1980s on water use and became one of the first producers to accept the city’s recycled wastewater for irrigation. The Berettas also have 75 acres of vernal pools that provide habitat for the California tiger salamander, a federally endangered species, and three endangered flowers. “Having that 75 acres as critical habitat for tiger salamander, our cows are still able to graze and that has allowed for the salamander to still thrive and the flowers to still grow,” Jennifer Beretta says. The Berettas have invited visitors to the family dairy to showcase their conservation work and educate people about agriculture. “I enjoy getting up every day and being able to work outside, whether it’s pouring down rain or 30 degrees. I love being with the cows, with the land and seeing what we’ve accomplished,” says Jennifer Beretta, who is president of the Sonoma County Farm Bureau. “It’s neat to watch the baby calves be born, get raised up into a milk cow and then see how they produce. It’s neat to plant the fields and watch your crop grow. It’s just fun to watch it all happen.”
Doug Beretta and daughter Jennifer prioritize conservation at the family dairy in Sonoma County. Above right, Doug monitors the temperature of compost that will be used for cattle bedding.
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