Silveira Family (continued)

His parents didn't need much convincing. This type of grazing and raising animals was natural to them. As children growing up in the Azores —islands off the coast of Portugal—they watched cows graze freely and learned natural ways to manage disease. Joe Silveira counts five generations of family farmers behind him, an ocean and a continent away, who milked their cows by hand and sold their milk to local creameries

"We fell in love with the idea of pasturing our cows—that was key," according to Victor. The Silveiras began to look at their entire operation and realized that becoming an organic farm made sense. They knew it would be better for their cows, better for their soil, and due to Organic Valley's guarantee of a stable pay price to the farmer-owners of the cooperative, they wouldn't have to suffer the vagaries of the milk market.

In 2006, the Silveiras sold off their conventional cows, and converted their heifers to organic. They stopped using commercial fertilizer and began growing their own feed. Later that year, they started selling their milk to Organic Valley and are enjoying what they refer to as an extended family of sorts.

Since that fateful day that David paid a visit to Denair, the Silveiras have strived for a sustainable and healthier farm. In the process, Victor and his family have begun to rethink their former 'bigger is better' philosophy. "We want to be self-sustaining," Victor says. "Instead of increasing the production per cow, we are thinking of producing happier, longer-living cows."