I'd like to introduce myself. My name is Tony T. Azevedo and I am a second
generation dairy farmer. I have been in the business for the last 35 years,
the last 12 being an Organic producer. Before making the transition to
organics, I was a conventional dairy farmer but was not satisfied with the
practices.
My father was an immigrant from the Azores Island of Portugal. He came to
the Central San Joaquin valley in 1948 at the age of 35. Seemingly late to
start a new life but determined to create a better life for my sisters and
eventually myself. Being a skilled cooper, or barrel maker he soon found out
that there wasn’t much work in that trade. He went to work as a farm hand
and gained the experience he needed to start his own dairy.
In 1951 he went out on his own with about 20 cows. Unfortunately, this
land was located at the base of the Central San Joaquin Valley and was
experiencing tremendous water mismanagement. His farm had many
problems including, flooding, poor drainage, and a high content of alkaline.
The alkaline was so prevalent that my sisters and I used to play in it and
pretend it was snow. My father realized that he needed to control his own
destiny. I remember him saying “No one is going to fix up a farm for me to
move into.” He began to revitalize this wasteland. I remember as a young
boy walking through pastures laden with clover and other lush grasses. His
passion for grazing was phenomenal. He was renowned for his ability to
know what to plant. In those days, you would call the local seed company
and order the combination of seeds you wanted to plant. Due to his
successful mixes, many local farmers requested the seed mix that “Azevedo”
was planting. The seed company called it “Azevedo Mix”.
My passion to preserve the past found me with an ever-growing collection of
agricultural artifacts. As a way to preserve and share my enthusiasm, I
created a museum. Purely by accident it turned into a side business. Our
ranch is host to many events every year, reunions, company picnics and
weddings being the most popular. This, for a time, was the only way we
survived in the conventional dairy business.
It was a pure act of God that I was contacted by Organic Valley. Dave
Pinkham knocked on my door one day telling me the benefit of farming
organically, not only financially but feeling good about what you were
doing. George Sieman, CEO and one of the founding farmers of Organic
Valley, is dedicated not only to family farms but to farming in conjunction
with the environment. It was a long struggle to certify my herd and land. I
was the first organic farmer in the San Joaquin Valley. Through these
experiences I decided to be an ambassador for Organic Valley and have
brought in over 40 farmers to date.
Organic Valley helped educate me in sustainability and I, in return,
transitioned many other farmers into organics. Through the efforts of EFA
(Ecological Farming Association) we have opened our farm to student
farmers that want to be organic and to the public to learn what organic
farming is all about. The disappointing thing is that my father died before
he saw me return to his philosophy of farming.
Today my mission is the same as Organic Valley’s, to educate people on the
importance of eating organics. Not only because it’s good for you and the
environment, but also because it supports and entire community of family
farms.
Tony T. Azevedo
generation dairy farmer. I have been in the business for the last 35 years,
the last 12 being an Organic producer. Before making the transition to
organics, I was a conventional dairy farmer but was not satisfied with the
practices.
My father was an immigrant from the Azores Island of Portugal. He came to
the Central San Joaquin valley in 1948 at the age of 35. Seemingly late to
start a new life but determined to create a better life for my sisters and
eventually myself. Being a skilled cooper, or barrel maker he soon found out
that there wasn’t much work in that trade. He went to work as a farm hand
and gained the experience he needed to start his own dairy.
In 1951 he went out on his own with about 20 cows. Unfortunately, this
land was located at the base of the Central San Joaquin Valley and was
experiencing tremendous water mismanagement. His farm had many
problems including, flooding, poor drainage, and a high content of alkaline.
The alkaline was so prevalent that my sisters and I used to play in it and
pretend it was snow. My father realized that he needed to control his own
destiny. I remember him saying “No one is going to fix up a farm for me to
move into.” He began to revitalize this wasteland. I remember as a young
boy walking through pastures laden with clover and other lush grasses. His
passion for grazing was phenomenal. He was renowned for his ability to
know what to plant. In those days, you would call the local seed company
and order the combination of seeds you wanted to plant. Due to his
successful mixes, many local farmers requested the seed mix that “Azevedo”
was planting. The seed company called it “Azevedo Mix”.
My passion to preserve the past found me with an ever-growing collection of
agricultural artifacts. As a way to preserve and share my enthusiasm, I
created a museum. Purely by accident it turned into a side business. Our
ranch is host to many events every year, reunions, company picnics and
weddings being the most popular. This, for a time, was the only way we
survived in the conventional dairy business.
It was a pure act of God that I was contacted by Organic Valley. Dave
Pinkham knocked on my door one day telling me the benefit of farming
organically, not only financially but feeling good about what you were
doing. George Sieman, CEO and one of the founding farmers of Organic
Valley, is dedicated not only to family farms but to farming in conjunction
with the environment. It was a long struggle to certify my herd and land. I
was the first organic farmer in the San Joaquin Valley. Through these
experiences I decided to be an ambassador for Organic Valley and have
brought in over 40 farmers to date.
Organic Valley helped educate me in sustainability and I, in return,
transitioned many other farmers into organics. Through the efforts of EFA
(Ecological Farming Association) we have opened our farm to student
farmers that want to be organic and to the public to learn what organic
farming is all about. The disappointing thing is that my father died before
he saw me return to his philosophy of farming.
Today my mission is the same as Organic Valley’s, to educate people on the
importance of eating organics. Not only because it’s good for you and the
environment, but also because it supports and entire community of family
farms.
Tony T. Azevedo
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| Organic dairy producer uses farm for "agritainment" and history |
