2020 Salute to Dairy

4 | CELEBRATING OUR LOCAL DAIRY INDUSTRY THURSDAY, JUNE 18, 2020
Toste family dairy emphasizes production, efficiency
NEWMAN - A family
dairy which moved to its
current Santa Fe Grade
Road facility more than 20
years ago has seen steady
growth and gains.
Today, the dairy of John
and Sandra Toste milks
1,350 cows twice a day - a
far cry from the 49-cow
dairy which represented
John’s entry into the business
in the late 1980s.
“You worked hard, but
at the end of the month
you saw a profit that you
could invest back into your
business,” he said of his
start in the business during
a 2011 interview with
Mattos Newspapers.
When the Tostes married
in 1994, John had a
300-cow dairy in the Crows
Landing area. When that
number grew to 500 cows
in 1999, it was time to
search for a new home -
and the Tostes made the
move to their current facilities.
Through the years they
have improved and expanded
the facilities, and
added land to support the
growing herd.
That herd expanded well
beyond what the Tostes
had envisioned.
“When we moved to this
place there was capacity
for 800 cows,” John recalled.
“I remember saying,
‘when are we ever going
to fill this place up?’
This is far beyond my expectations.”
Along the way, they
raised their three children
- Makayla, Adriana
and John Jr. - all of whom
share their parents’ passion
for the dairy industry.
Makayla is currently
working in a USDA position,
Adriana will be a
senior at Oklahoma State
University (and is on the
school’s dairy judging
team) and John Jr., who
recently graduated Gustine
High, plans to study
dairy science at Modesto
Junior College and come
back to the family dairy.
In their years as dairy
producers, the Tostes have
experienced the highs and
lows of the industry, ranging
from the devastating
collapse of milk prices in
2009 to the record highs of
2014.
Sound management,
with a premium placed on
production and efficiency,
has helped the family
dairy weather the downturns
and maximize returns
during better times.
“We have always been
conservative and efficient.
That is what gets
us through this,” John reflected.
“When times are
good, you have to save for
See TOSTE | PAGE 5
Dairy has been a family lifestyle for the Tostes of rural Newman. John and Sandra Toste are pictured with their children, from left, Makayla,
John Jr. and Adriana - all of whom share their parents’ passion for the dairy industry.
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