Inside a one-room factory, Barbara Martin of Lemoore is taking greater control over the future of her family's dairy, one small tub of cheese at a time.
Martin, a third-generation dairy operator, joins a group of entrepreneurial farmers creating their own specialty cheese.
It's a small club in the central San Joaquin Valley, but one that may grow as more dairy operators, weary of the see-saw nature of milk prices, seek to diversify their operations.
"There is a growing sophistication among dairy operators out there," said Phillip Tong, professor of dairy science at Cal Poly. "And they are realizing that they can shape their own destiny by converting their milk into a finished product."
Statewide, California has more than 50 cow's milk cheesemakers producing 250 varieties of cheese. In the Valley, those include: Bill Boersma of Bravo Farms in Traver, John Fagundes of Fagundes Old World Cheese in Hanford and Marisa Simoes of Three Sisters Farmstead Cheese in Lindsay.
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