YAMHILL COUNTY, Ore. — Small dairies no longer have to follow the same rules around waste as large operations, eliminating the need to install expensive waste treatment systems, the Oregon Department of Agriculture recently determined.
Small dairy farmers like Sarah King rejoiced at the news. The Story previously spoke with King, who is the owner of Godspeed Hollow. She sells raw milk directly to members who pay to own a share of her “herd,” which consists of four cows on 11 acres in Yamhill County. Those cows mostly roam around outside and leave their waste on the ground, where it becomes fertilizer for the soil.
Those proposed requirements by the ODA, she said, would have put her on the hook to pay for permits, install drain lines and holding tanks, and frequently journal how she was handling the animal waste…