Historical Study Explores Labor and Ecology in California Dairy Industry

Key Takeaways

• Benjamin Prostine received a UC Davis Library Research Travel Grant for archival research.
• The dissertation project examines the labor history and ecological impact of California dairy farming.
• Historical records reveal the rapid expansion of large scale operations in the San Joaquin Valley during the mid twentieth century.
• The research connects early feedlot systems in Los Angeles County to later environmental and labor regulations in the 1970s.

Introduction

A recent UC Davis Library Research Travel Grant recipient is conducting archival work to document the evolution of dairy farming in California. Benjamin Prostine utilized the funding to access historical records that shed light on labor practices and industrial expansion within the state agricultural sector.

Main Content

Prostine conducted a week and a half of archival research at the UC Davis Library to advance his dissertation project titled Milked: Land, Labor, and Livestock in the Twentieth Century Dairy Industry. The study focuses on the role of dairy cows under capitalism, with a specific emphasis on the emergence of large scale dairy farming in California. According to the source, California remains the largest producer of milk in the United States, yet the dairy industry has been historically overlooked in agricultural scholarship.

Archival Findings

The Archives and Special Collections Department provided critical materials, including production records and correspondence from Sunshine Farm Dairy operated by E.E. Greenough in the San Joaquin Valley. These documents reveal how the farm expanded from fewer than ten cows after World War I to over six hundred cows by the late 1960s. This massive growth was accompanied by significant challenges, including labor disputes, cattle diseases like mastitis, and economic pressures to reduce production costs through automation and optimized feeding systems.

Local California Context

The research specifically addresses dairy operations across California, tracing developments from feedlot dairy farming in Los Angeles County during the Great Depression to the broader expansion of environmental and farm labor regulations in the 1970s. The findings aim to fill a historical gap regarding the intermediate decades of the twentieth century, exploring how labor conditions and ecological factors shaped the industry.

Background

UC Davis maintains extensive agricultural archives to support scholarly research on the state farming sector. The Research Travel Grant program provides financial support for graduate students and researchers to utilize these specialized collections for dissertation development and academic publication.

Conclusion

Prostine plans to share the research outcomes through academic publications, conference presentations, and public writing. The completed work will ultimately contribute to a broader book detailing the history of mega dairies in the United States.

Sources and Materials

• library