The Sonoma-based company, Miyoko’s Creamery, has launched an initiative to transform a California dairy farm into a plant-based operation. At a time when dairy sales are plummeting and many dairies across California have converted into almond groves, Miyoko’s CEO Miyoko Schinner sees her offer as an act of goodwill towards farmers.

“We think it’s the responsibility of industry to provide solutions for hardworking people,” Miyoko said in a statement, “So yes, there are farms that are doing it on their own. But we need them, and hopefully, they need us.” 

Founded in 2014, Miyoko’s Creamery products are sold in thousands of stores across the United States, including major retailers such as Target and Trader Joe’s. The company is entirely plant-based, focusing on sustainable alternatives to dairy-based favorites, including cream cheese, butter, cheese wheels and more. In addition to being an agricultural entrepreneur, Miyoko also runs a sanctuary for over 70 rescued farmed animals in Nicasio. Most recently, Miyoko has earned investment from Ellen and Portia Degeneres, who are also advocates for plant-based eating and sustainable living. 

“Farmers are struggling, farms are closing, livelihoods are threatened, and we want to help the American farmer stay true to the land,” Miyoko continues. She is referring to a growing trend of dairy farm closures; in 2018 alone, over 2,700 U.S. dairy farms ended operations. While this can be linked to the replacement of family farms by mega-dairy operations, it is also a result of a changing market. Milk sales dropped by $1.1 billion in 2018. At the same time, plant-based milk sales grew by 9%, now making up 13% of the entire milk market. While many dairy farmers are calling it quits, some are simply changing their practices. 

Giacomazzi Dairy, California’s oldest dairy farm, was one of the most recent to convert. After 125 years of services as a dairy, in October, it sold the last of its cows and transitioned entirely into an almond grove. “We’ve had four straight years of losing money in the dairy business, and now seems like the right time to plant more land to trees,” said owner Dino Giacomazzi in an interview. 

Miyoko hopes that her company’s partnership with a chosen dairy farm will help a family continue their agricultural career rather than losing their livelihood, and will help create “a sustainable and compassionate food supply”. In addition to supplying food to be used in Miyoko’s Creamery products, the converted farm will be used for the company’s research and development of new cheese and butter products. Financial assistance will be provided by Miyoko’s to aid the farm during the transition. 

Farm Sanctuary, the nation’s most significant farmed animal welfare and rescue organization, will play a major advisory role in the farm’s transition. “We share Miyoko’s vision for a compassionate food system and are looking forward to working with them to help farmers become part of a cruelty-free, more sustainable, plant-based food future,” said Gene Baur, one of the charity’s co-founders. While Farm Sanctuary’s exact role has not been specified, it is likely the organization will assist in finding a safe refuge for the dairy animals. 

If the initiative goes according to plan, it could be a massive stride towards resolution–rather than conflict–between traditional and plant-based dairy companies. 

The search process for selecting a farm is said to begin in early 2020.