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About 200 cattle , including roughly 60 milking cows , graze the 90 acres at Long Dream Farm .
Tahoe Food Hub , individual customers and through its online market .
Under its current model , which includes charitable giving , the farm would have to raise its prices one-and-a-half to two times to break even . However , if it only produced its most profitable products and sold its entire production , Long Dream Farm could break even at its current prices , says Abrahams .
Rather than increasing the price of products — which are designed to promote the farm ’ s practices rather than the products themselves — Long Dream Farm established a nonprofit arm in 2019 . All revenue from the dairy goes to the nonprofit , which helps fund the sanctuary . Abrahams says there was so much interest in what the farm was doing , people wanted to be able to make tax-deductible donations .
Abrahams believes their knowledge and experience could serve as the basis for a viable model for startup dairies , in addition to the required capital and land . And with a combination of selecting particular breeds and characteristics that produce longer lactations , breeding and the number of animals requiring lifetime sanctuary is reduced . “ Then the economics could become very different ,” he says .
But that requires a consumer base that cares about animal welfare and environmental stewardship in food production .
To promote advocacy and education , tours of the farm and overnight stays are open to the public ( after temporarily closing due to the pandemic ), and the Abrahams serve as a resource for those interested in replicating their model .
Abrahams hopes Long Dream Farm products will appeal to vegans who choose the lifestyle for animal welfare issues and believes their dairy and sanctuary model can fund operations that serve as a solution for what he anticipates will be a need for lifetime sanctuary for animals in dairy and meat production as the market for plant-based alternatives grows . In 2019 , the alternative-milk market grew 5 percent to $ 2 billion in sales , capturing 14 percent of the milk market while dairy milk sales grew only by 0.1 percent , according to the Plant Based Foods Association .
Notably , that market shift is putting pressure on the dairy industry . Dean Foods , the largest U . S . milk producer , filed for bankruptcy in 2019 , citing a decrease in demand for cow ’ s milk as demand for plant-based milk grows , according to CNN .
Abrahams says efforts to reach the vegan community have not always been pleasant . “ We have some defenders , but it kind of feels like it ’ s 10-to-1 against us ,” he says .
A fundamental belief among many individuals who choose a vegan lifestyle based on animal rights and welfare is that animals should not be part of humans ’ food production system in any way . Abrahams says vegans who oppose his model have argued the animals are still being exploited because no one knows what the animals want . “ I would disagree with that statement ,” he says . “ I really think we do know . It ’ s not obvious perhaps , but ( when ) you spend time with the animal and you treat them like they ’ re your friends , you kind of do .”
Martha Sanchez of Santa Ana , who chose a vegan lifestyle in 2016 for animal welfare issues , noticed a negative change in her health after a year . She didn ’ t want to go back to buying conventional animal protein because it went against her beliefs , so she spent nearly a year researching ethically produced animal products , she says , and found Long Dream Farm .
“ They exceeded my expectations of what I was looking for , but in reality , they should be the standard ,” says Sanchez , who visited the farm in 2017 for her birthday to see how the animals were treated . “ I wish that more establishments and farms , whether they ’ re big or small , would function like this because all parties win .”
Jennifer Junghans holds degrees in biological sciences and horticulture and writes about food systems , wildlife and conservation . More at www . jenniferjunghans . com .
28 comstocksmag . com | May 2021