Los Gatos Weekly-Times

Citizens, not city, are dairy's saviors

By Randal Nelson

We appreciate this opportunity to respond to the the Oct. 30 commentary in the Los Gatos Weekly-Times written by Melvin Hulme, a real estate agent specializing in selling farm land for development. It's obvious Mr. Hulme experiences great love for farming.

Unfortunately, his commentary is incorrect and misleading. Monte Sereno is not buying Claravale Dairy; the dairy is being purchased by the Claravale Dairy Preservation Foundation Inc., a nonprofit citizens' group. No liability or expense will be assumed by any municipality or citizen of any city. Mr. Hulme is concerned that elected officials proceed carefully, and they already have done so. The dairy at no time will be anything but an autonomous organization providing many free services to the community.

Mr. Hulme's primary concerns seem to be financial.

* "Who will operate the dairy?" he asks. The dairy business is already owned and operated by Ph.D. and dairyman Ron Garthwaite. The dairy business has an arm's-length contract to operate on the foundation's land.

* The Claravale Dairy is not impossible to run at a profit as Mr. Hulme suggests; under Mr. Garthwaite's care, it already operates in the black.

* Mr. Hulme says there are "well-justified rules and regulations, requiring inspections of the animals, the corrals, barns, holding tank, the milk (especially raw or unpasturized milk) and even the practices of the farmers." This is certainly correct. This is why Claravale's milk consistently contains fewer contaminants than commercially available milk. Claravale Dairy has not had a single citation for its milk quality since 1927.

* Mr. Peake is not "quitting" the dairy business, as Mr. Hulme implies, for financial reasons. Mr. Peake is 89 years old, and although he drinks a gallon of milk a day and is strong as a bull, he knows it's time to pass his dairy on to the future.

But let's consider: Why save Claravale Dairy? What other benefits does Claravale provide besides high-quality milk?

* Not so long ago, farming was the primary activity in Los Gatos, Monte Sereno and Saratoga. The dairy is a reminder of a simpler time. Preserving this working example of the past allows children and their families to understand our communities' history, as well as introduce young people to another way of life nearly vanished from the valley, yet sustainable and profitable today. Our children learn about the sources of their food. They are able to see and pet farm animals. Decades of schoolchildren visiting Claravale with their classmates have experienced astonishment to see milk drawn from a cow rather than lifted from a shelf.

* Many teenagers have learned responsibility and engaged in healthy physical activity with jobs around the dairy.

* No pesticides of any type have ever been used at Claravale. The dairy's profitability relies on no artificial additives or procedures. It is the last dairy of its type in California. Every dairy in California, except Claravale, provides milk primarily from Holstein cows. Claravale's pure Guernsey and Jersey milk is more costly to produce but is richer in cream and other nutrients and, many would say, more delicious. Did you know that an enzyme to support water recycling was tested at Claravale Dairy and is now sold internationally? Claravale was the test site chosen by UC-Davis research scientists because it was one of the few locations in California where the university was assured the pond was free of pesticides.

* The dairy is surrounded by houses spreading in four directions.

Claravale's palpable tranquility, its mix of cows, chickens, geese, ducks, meadows, glass-knobbed electric fences, water troughs, and wild California blossoms nestled against whitewashed barns has impressed visitors so deeply and for so long that local citizens visiting the farm with their grandchildren vividly remember their own first visit as school children. Easels are frequently set up near the grassy pastures.

* Kenneth Peake steadfastly maintained Claravale Dairy from 1927 through the present, a time marked by farm mechanization and profit-driven agribusiness. Mr. Peake's motivation has never been personal gain. He was dedicated to provide the best milk, cream and butter to his customers, including many of our children, parents and neighbors. If Claravale is developed into three houses, the fruit of Mr. Peake's dedication will be forever lost. When the Claravale Dairy is purchased by the Preservation Foundation, Mr. Peake will live the remainder of his days in the house he built, satisfied in knowing his way of life will remain to inspire future generations.

Again, Monte Sereno is not buying the Claravale Dairy. It is citizens concerned about our future who are involved in this charitable act. Only citizens will save this farm, and we hope you want to be a part of this effort. Please mail your contributions to: Claravale Purchase, c/o The Los Gatos Community Foundation, P.O. Box 1089, Los Gatos, 95031, or for information, call 353-1246.

Randal Nelson is chairman of the Claravale Dairy Preservation Foundation.