Last Lakeside dairy sells its cows

It is a case of good news and bad news for the Van Ommering Dairy in the El Monte Valley. Bad news first: the last dairy in Lakeside is no longer milking cows for commercial purposes. The good news? The local business icon is not going anywhere. The dairy was established by Gerrit and Gerry Van Ommering in 1959. The couple had emigrated from the Netherlands as newlyweds six years earlier. Though neither initially spoke a word of English, the couple made their way to Lakeside and, in 1955, purchased 59 cows from another local dairyman. The Van Ommerings bought the current ranch site four years later. airy farming is a tough business, operating 24 hours a day, every day throughout the year. It is often a family business. Gerrit and Gerry had four children on their ranch – two sons and two daughters. When the older couple passed away, the brothers took over the operation. But recently, one brother has decided to opt out of the business, leaving Dave Van Ommering and his wife Brenda to run the dairy themselves. The decision to end milk production was neither quick nor easy. The pressures that influenced the decision were literally on a global scale. Simply put: milk prices are down and feed prices are up, resulting in an untenable business situation.