Harrold’s Dairy – I am Oregon Agriculture

I am Oregon agriculture.

My name is Bobbi Harrold Frost and I am a fourth generation dairy farmer in Creswell, Oregon. I own and operate Harrold’s Dairy with my parents, Max and Cindy Harrold, and my spouse, Patrick Frost. My Poppa and his brother (Eldon and Don) still live on the farm but are retired. Our farm was founded in 1946 by my Great-Grandparents Foster and Stella Harrold. While the milking cows and parlor still remain on the original farmstead, we have expanded in the last 70 years. Our operation now covers about 900 acres both owned and rented. In March of 2016 our family welcomed our 5th generation to the farm and nearly everyday you can find 3-4 generations of our family at work on the farm.

One of our Holstein cows with her calf.

We milk 400 cows on the farm every single day, three times per day. The current milking herd is about 2/3 Holstein and 1/3 Jersey, but there are also Brown Swiss and Ayrshires too. My dad likes to joke that we are an “equal opportunity” farm because we have such a variety of breeds. All of our cows are provided with the best nutrition possible. Our calves get fresh whole milk from the milking cows, heifers are pastured in the summer months and fed corn and grass silage during the winter, and milk cows eat corn silage, farm raised straw, hay and wheat. Our farm also utilizes some by-products,like brewer’s grain, for the milk cows.

All of our milk is shipped to local processing plants. We are Member-Owners of the Darigold brand, so the majority of our milk goes to the Darigold plant in Portland, which makes a variety of flavored milks and creamers. We occasionally fill plants closer to home like Umpqua and Springfield Creamery as well.

Students from Coburg Community Charter School visit Harrold’s Dairy on their Adopt a Farmer field trip.

Agricultural education is important to our family because the average American is several generations removed from the farm. People no longer have a “farmer” in their friends or family to explain how food is produced. A society that loses touch with that is doomed. Food is something EVERY person needs EVERY day, which means that there CAN and SHOULD be a connection between farmers and the consumers. Ag education helps to introduce children and their families to the people and methods that feed them.

To learn more about Harrold’s Dairy, follow us on Facebook or Instagram (@HarroldsDairy).