101-Year-Old Family Dairy Farm Closes As Part Of Lawsuit Settlement: Report

SCHELLVILLE, CA — A 101-year-old family dairy in rural Sonoma County recently went out of business as part of the settlement of a lawsuit alleging the farm discharged pollutants into a creek and, eventually, the Pacific Ocean, according to a lengthy report by The Press Democrat.

Mike Mulas of Mulas Dairy described the lawsuit, which generated almost $300,000 in debt for the Schellville farm, as “the tipping point” for the business, which closed in October, the newspaper reported.

The intent of the legal action was not to shutter the dairy, attorney Andrew Packard, who filed the lawsuit for the California Sportfishing Protection Alliance, told The Press Democrat, noting he had never before seen a farm actually close as part of a settlement.

The lawsuit was allowed to move forward after the San Francisco Bay Regional Water Quality Control Board declined to take up enforcement against the farm, according to the newspaper.

In addition to legal battles, the dairy industry has recently suffered from inflation and drought, The Press Democrat reported, noting Sonoma County was once home to about 300 dairies and now has only 50.

Voters may in November weigh in on a ballot measure to ban factory farms in Sonoma County, including dairies with 700-plus cattle, according to the newspaper, which reported Mulas Dairy had roughly 800 dairy cows and 400 calves.

Read more from The Press Democrat.