The North Olympic Peninsula has a rich history of dairy and cattle farms, fishing, and logging going back well over one hundred years.  We have a lot of fields that are wide open spaces where cattle still graze, and believe it or not, some of those cows have gorgeous water and mountain views!  I know, it’s ridiculous.  We also have some 100+ year old farm houses and cabins that are still quite livable.  I love this kind of history.  Alongside Highway 112 west of Port Angeles this little old house stands as a testimony of another time.  Oh, if this house could only talk . . .

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• Sequim Dairy Farms – Only Two Left in Clallam County
• Sequim Dairy Farm

There are only two dairy farms left in Sequim, and those are the only two left in all of Clallam County.   Both are small family operations.   Dairy farms have been going away in Washington and throughout much of the Northwest as the profit of producing milk diminishes coupled with the extraordinary increases in the value of land for residential development.

Here is a graphic showing the decline of milk cows in Clallam County, Washington.

Click on graphic to enlarge.

From a high of over 7,300 milk cows in 1950, we are now at about 500.   The small dairy farms have been going away in western Washington rapidly over the last decade.

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Sequim is home to Maple View Farm, otherwise known as the Smith family dairy. The Olympic Peninsula was home to many dairy farms going back 100 years ago, but as with hundreds of other dairy farms around the country that closed, there are only two left in the Sequim area.

Ben Smith, who manages dairy at Maple View Farm, was kind enough to give this author the grand tour. There are 1000 cows, bulls and calves, with 350 milking cows. It’s an amazing operation that runs 24/7 in three shifts non-stop, with average daily milk production of 10 gallons per cow with top producers at 25 gallons per day.

While touring the farm, I was fortunate enough to witness a cow calving. Fortunately, I helped deliver my own four children, so I was not queasy during my digital photo shoot. You can see more photos of the Sequim Dairy Farm here. [Click on photos to enlarge.]

Read the full article in the next issue of Pacific Northwest Home Owner magazine.

More to Read: Dairy Farms Drying up in Jefferson County
More to Read: Local Dairying Continues to Decline
and Read: History of the Olympic Game Farm (Originally a Dairy Farm)
Link: Dungeness Valley Creamery

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• Days of Old on the Olympic Peninsula
• Sequim Dairy Farms – Only Two Left in Clallam County