TASTE
Greener Pastures
Long Dream Farm aims to prove that dairy production can be both ethical and economically viable
BY Jennifer Junghans
PHOTOS BY Fred Greaves
Andrew and Krista Abrahams opened Long Dream Farm in Lincoln in 2011 . The 90-acre farm is one of two dairies in Placer County .
Andrew and Krista Abrahams wanted to rethink the assumptions of traditional dairy production . What began as an inquiry into the source of their food and a desire to connect consumers with ethically produced animal proteins and fats changed the course of their lives .
The more they learned about practices used to produce milk commercially , Andrew Abrahams says they thought maybe they needed to do this themselves . They decided on California for their dairy ’ s destination for its optimal weather and to be closer to family and a startup Abrahams was involved with at the time .
In 2011 , after leaving New York City , the couple set down roots in rural Lincoln ’ s rolling foothills and opened Long Dream Farm . The California Department of Food and Agriculture-certified dairy and creamery is one of only two dairies in Placer County , according to the county ’ s agriculture department . The nonprofit farm is distinguished by its unconventional business model : “ Dairy re-thought from the cow ’ s perspective .”
At conventional dairies , milk cows are commodities . They ’ re artificially inseminated every year to produce a continuous milk supply and separated from their calves within hours of birth , which a growing population is opposing for animal welfare rights . The cows are mechanically milked on average 2-3 times a day , producing more than six times what their bodies are designed for , and when milk production slows , dairy cows are sold to the meat industry for food .
The veal industry — a byproduct of the dairy industry — consists of male
26 comstocksmag . com | May 2021