Yerington Monday: Dairies of Mason and Smith Valley

Yerington Monday:  Dairies of Mason and Smith Valley

What would Christmas be without Egg Nog and what would Mason and Smith Valley be without our dairies?  There is a long history of dairies in these two valleys.

Model Dairy Egg Nog

Model Diary (former Valley Dairy) is sort of local because the plant is located in Reno, they obtain some of the dairy products from local dairies, which are available all over the Truckee Meadows, but the company is no longer locally owned. This could be an option.

Model Diary sells drinking milk grown on local dairies located in Gardnerville, Yerington and Fallon, which is then processed here in Reno. Look for the Model Dairy label or code 32-01 on the carton if you want to buy Nevada milk.

Horizon organic milk is a Model Dairy product but it comes from diaries located in other states.

Model Dairy drinking milk is from local cows. MD butter, cottage, ice cream, etc. is made from dairy that comes from other states.

Model Dairy (former Valley Dairy) alfalfa field next to the dairy

Most of the milk we have access to usually comes from two breeds - Holstein and Jersey. Drinking milk typically comes from Holstein cows; cheese makers prefer Jersey for the high-fat content that contributes to cheesey lusciousness.

Some Nevada dairymen produce Jersey milk but it is shipped to California for yogurt production.

Larry "Short" Ray Steinbach, Valley Dairy and Model Dairy Delivery Driver

Larry "Short" Ray Steinbach passed away suddenly in Mono County, California on Monday, June 6, 2011. Short was 57.  He was born in Boise, Idaho on June 12, 1953 the son of Donald and Charlotte (Summers) Steinbach.

Short lived in Yerington, Nevada since 1954. He graduated from Yerington High School in 1972, and in 1973 he married Patty Lommori. Together they resided here for the rest of his life. In 1982, he and Patty acquired Western Auto and in 1992 they added True Value Hardware. He helped run this store until 1997. In 1998, he went to work at Valley Dairy as a delivery driver. It was then acquired by Model Dairy and he worked there until the time of his death.

Yerington Creamery Co., Mason, Nevada

In 1925 and 1937 Yerington Creamery was fined for adulteration and misbranding of their butter by the US attorney for the district of Nevada.  It was alleged that the butter was less than 80% by weight of milk fat and was therefore not real butter.  The creamery pleaded guilty and was fined $75 in 1924 and $100 in 1937. The business may not have lasted by the building still remains.

Valley Dairy

Valley Dairy 5-21-85 Yerington, Nv

Valley Dairy Ashtray

Valley Dairy milk bottle

Valley Dairy Milk bottle

Frade Ranches Inc 123 Mackenzie Lane Yerington, NV 89447 (775) 463-2922 Bill Frade owns and operates Frade Ranch with his brother, Joe, and his son, Don. Frade has been working his entire life on the dairy, which was started by his father, Antone, in 1930. (photo by Heidi Joyner, Mason Valley News) Milking at Frade Ranch is done twice daily in a double-12 parallel parlor that is expandable to a double-16. The Frades currently milk 300 Holstein cows. (photo by Heidi Joyner, Mason Valley News) Bill Frade has been a part of his father's dairy business his entire life. He, his brother, Joe, and his son, Don, now own and operate the ranch. While Bill manages the dairy and crops, Don handles the equipment and machinery maintenance as well as helping with all aspects of the dairy and Joe, who is semi-retired, helps out wherever he is needed. Together, the Frades now milk 300 Holstein cows and farm 1,200 acres of alfalfa, silage corn, barley, wheat and pasture on their 1,500-acre farm. Frade said internal growth has accounted for the majority of his herd's expansion over the years. The Frades raise all their heifer calves for replacements. They also raise a small herd of beef on their pastureland. For several years, Frade said they fattened their bull calves and beef calves before selling them. Now, however, they sell them when they are only a few days old because of the distance and freight costs of shipping. Yerington Dairy

 

Yerington Dairy was owned by my grandfather, Bart McGee and was located on the Masini Ranch site.  When my grandfather died in 1936 it was sold and his family relocated to Reno

Milk bottles from the Yerington Dairy in Mason Valley, NV.  This Dairy was owned by my grandfather, Charles Barton McGee until his death in 1936.

One of my grandparents dairy cows, “Bessie”

Dairyman and cowboy Charles Barton McGee casting giant shadow.

McGee Family Portrait on their Yerington Dairy (circa. 1932): Bart, wife Clara Belle, daughter Clara Belle (my mother), son Jack (John Barton), daughter Anna Lee, son Charles

The Smith Valley Dairy

“Smith Valley Dairy is a family owned dairy farm dedicated to preserving our environment as well as promoting our local and national economies.”

Smith Valley Dairy had an inspection on October 13, 2015 conducted by the NDEP. The purpose for this inspection was to determine if SVD is compliant with all applicable environmental regulations. Happily they passed with flying colors!!!

Smith Valley Dairy.

40 Hunewill Ln

Wellington, Nevada

(559) 706-2350

The Vlot family owns and operates Smith Valley Dairy.

Dairy permit hearing draws crowd to SVS cafeteria

Keith Trout10:40 a.m. PST January 14, 2015

Although there were not answers given to the many questions expressed, Smith Valley residents were able to express their opinions and concerns during a special Nevada Division of Environmental Protection public hearing conducted last Wednesday for a groundwater discharge permit sought by the Smith Valley Dairy.

Most of the speakers expressed concerns or opposition to the dairy permit, although a few residents spoke in support of the dairy operation off of Hunewill Lane in northern Smith Valley.

Smith Valley Dairy applied for a new groundwater discharge permit to discharge dairy manure and process wastewater to groundwater and surface waters of the state, according to the notice. A production of this size is defined as a concentrated animal feeding operation because the dairy is designed to confine at least 700 mature dairy cows or more in a 12-month period in an area devoid of vegetation during the normal growing season.

Darrell Pursel of Yerington, president of the Lyon County Farm Bureau, spoke in favor of the dairy, saying the permit would protect the groundwater. He added an individual with a well could contaminate more with use of pesticides.

Yerington resident Jim DeChambeau said listening the thing that amazed him was there already is a feedlot in Smith Valley with 2,000 cows located near West Walker River that has operated for 40 years. He said if cows polluted the groundwater like people were saying, "all of Smith and Mason valleys would be contaminated by now."

Other dairies listed in Yerington

Desert Hills Dairy LLC

350 Campbell Lane

Yerington, NV 89447

(775) 463-3417

Western Dairy Specialities
4 Austin Ave, Yerington, NV 89447

Moreda Dairy
12 Peeples Ln,
Yerington, NV 89447
(775) 463-4561

L-S Dairy in Yerington, Nv.
Dairy Products Retail in Yerington, NV
300 Campbell Ln
Yerington, NV 89447-8743
775 / 4634508