Hello Friends and Family!

As you may recall, Julian, Trevor and I had the privilege of revisiting one of the most important institutions in the history of America’s dairy goat industry: Laurelwood acres, a monumental dairy that closed its doors twenty years ago.  Laurelwood shaped the dairy goat industry as we know it today and many of their famous goats are still used as breed standard examples.  Jack and Pinky Hawes were kind enough to share many photographs, slides and newspaper clippings from their past.  Here’s a sneak peak of Laurelwood Acres, a famous and historical dairy that will be featured in our documentary:

A clipping presumably from one of Pinky’s 4-H books or scrapbooks.  Pinky’s mother and father started Laurelwood Acres when she was an infant.  When Pinky was first born she was terribly sick.  They tried feeding her formula and cow’s milk, but she was sick and wouldn’t grow – nothing worked until a nurse suggested goat’s milk.  As soon as she started drinking goat’s milk, she was a thriving, healthy infant.

Pinky and one of her Alpines

One of Jack and Pinky’s most famous Alpines

Laurelwood Acres was a HUGE dairy, even by today’s standards.  In fact, Laurelwood set the standards, in many ways, for the commercial goat dairies of today.  Where Laurelwood once stood is now a fancy suburban housing development.

Before Laurelwood Acres moved to Ripon, California, it was not far from Los Angeles, as pictured here.  How beautiful!

Happy, healthy dairy goats.

I hope you all are looking forward to Jack and Pinky’s interview in our documentary!  They have a wealth of information about the goat industry of the 20th century and are a delightful pair to visit.

For more pictures of Jack and Pinky, click here: http://goatshowdoc.com/2012/04/21/day-1-jack-and-pinky-hawes-of-ripon-ca/