Wendell and Rhonda Crow’s families have been dairy farmers in
Arizona since the early 1900s. Rhonda’s family came to AZ in 1912
and Wendell’s family came in 1916. The Crow family built a
commercial dairy business in 1953. This new dairy business was known
as Prescott Farms Dairy. It was located on Willow Creek Road in
Prescott, AZ. They did everything from raise calves to home delivery
of their fresh dairy products.
Wendell’s family moved the farm to Phoenix in 1966 and produced
Grade A milk for the next 40 years. That particular farm, Crow
Dairy, was located on Broadway Road in the West Valley.
In 1992,
Wendell and Rhonda purchased the farm from his father and added an agritourism business to the farm. The business was named Crow’s
Agricultural Learning Facility, or CALF, and they hosted tens of
thousands of people each year for tours. This gave them an outreach
to city dwellers and helped educate the public about the farming
lifestyle. Many residents in the Phoenix Metro area know what it
takes to get milk from a cow because of Crow’s Dairy Farm.
However,
that dairy was sold in 2006 and the family moved to Buckeye, AZ.
Having been interested in making cheese and researching it for many
years, they began to explore the possibilities. Of course, there
were always a few goats on the farm before, but never as producers.
They are such engaging animals that they were considered more like
pets. Well, as they learned more about cheese making, they found
that goats could also be very productive! Being “cow” people, they
had never tasted goat cheese before. They were surprised at the
varieties and flavors of goat cheese. This time they decided to go a
different direction and start a Nubian Goat Dairy by the name of
Crow’s Dairy, Inc. Their daughter, Mary Lou, and her husband, Erik,
have partnered with them on the venture. Their aim is to provide a
quality product that the consumer can enjoy in a local restaurant,
buy at a farmer's market or come to the farm to purchase. Plans are
for the farm to be open for public sales in the spring of 2010.
Check back soon for updates!
