Deniz Dairy
A third-generation dairy farm balances tradition and evolution
Coming back to the farm
Becky Chevalier is a third-generation owner and operator of Deniz Dairy in Petaluma, California, where her family has been milking cows since 1946. Currently, she and her brother, Lucas, milk over three hundred organic dairy cows there, proudly continuing the family legacy.
Both Lucas and Becky left the farm to pursue degrees in dairy science and agricultural science, respectively, but both eventually found their way back to full-time work on the farm. “That was a choice, just one I had wanted to make,” Becky says. “This is the lifestyle and the way of life that I wanted my kids to be raised with.”
“That’s part of why we apply for these grants - to improve our soil quality, to improve our grass quality, and keep these pastures in this land for the next generation to do the same thing,”
A Changing Landscape
In the last fifteen years, Becky has seen changes both on and off the farm. “I think the community and the consumer have gotten much more in touch with and are more concerned with where their products come from,” she says. “And the quality in which their products are grown, raised, and produced. I see that as a very positive thing.”
She’s noticed many advancements in regenerative farming practices as well. “That’s part of why we apply for these grants - to improve our soil quality, to improve our grass quality, and keep these pastures in this land for the next generation to do the same thing,” she says, “That has been a really positive change, that farmers are…not only trying to produce a product, but also prepare for generations to come.”
Regeneration 2.0
While there are many regenerative practices that the Deniz family has always used on the farm, like applying manure to pastures, Becky says that “There's a lot more technology to help us. There are more tools, more information, [which has] allowed us to do a better job at it.”
Zero Foodprint’s grants have helped them to increase their compost, which “allowed us to improve the pasture quality and the crop quality on a lot more acreage. That would've been beyond our financial capabilities before the grant.”
Becky reflects that the value of the grant went beyond the field, offering stability during an uncertain period. “[The grant] has been a huge benefit to us. The milk market and the agricultural market have been very volatile the last few years, and knowing that we were still able to keep doing these things, regenerate our pastures, and do things for our crop land…has lowered our stress level.”
When she looks to the future, Becky wants to continue life on the farm and the improvements she and her brother have begun. “[I want to keep] making sure our land is working for us the best that it can, and that we're working for the land to the best of our ability. To have that mutually beneficial relationship and keep building on what we've already done.”
About Deniz Dairy
Deniz Dairy was founded on February 14, 1946 by August Deniz and his wife Mary. August was an immigrant from the Azores wanting to make a life for himself in the United States. August bought several cows locally and did all the work himself and slowly grew the operation, but it wasn’t until August and Mary’s son, Ernie and his son Lucas took over that the operation expanded to the size and scope that it is today.
Over the years the dairy has expanded in both cow numbers and acres and now comprises a herd of 450 conventional and organic Holstein dairy cows and over 500 acres of pasture and cropland. We have focused on breeding and developing cows and cow families that not only look good but put milk in the tank. With this breeding philosophy we have built up a reputation for high quality cattle that we have sold both locally and on a national level.
Deniz Dairy is truly a family farm. Currently the farm is run by Lucas Deniz, who is in charge of the day to day operations and his sister Becky Chevalier who is the office manager. Their children are also active on the farm after school, on the weekends and during the summer months. Besides helping take care of their own cows, they love to help feed calves, get the cows in from the pasture, and ride on the tractor with mom and dad. The legacy that was built by both August and Ernie continue today on the farm and hopefully for generations to come.
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Zero Foodprint awards grants for projects that take carbon out of the atmosphere and put it back where it belongs: in the earth, creating healthy soil and better food. To do this, we focus on regenerative farming practices like composting, cover cropping, and managed grazing that can restore life to our soil while removing carbon from the atmosphere. Together, we have the power to grow more nutritious food, heal natural water cycles, and create habitat for biodiversity to thrive. Explore previously funded projects to see what this might look like on your farm.
For more information, read through other Restore Grant FAQs.
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Zero Foodprint and the California Department of Food and Agriculture have partnered to provide Healthy Soil Program Grants to California farmers and ranchers. Current grantees are implementing 1-3 year-long soil conservation management practices.
Applications for HSP Grants closed December 2024. Current grantees and technical service providers can access their portals online portals and subscribe to the program calendar below.
Zero Foodprint (ZFP) is a nonprofit organization restoring the climate, one acre at a time. We believe that by regenerating soil, local food economies can play a critical role in reversing the global climate crisis. We work with food and beverage businesses, philanthropy, and government to bring the next dollar to implement the next regenerative practice on the next acre. This regenerative economy benefits every person who grows food, every person who sells food, and every person on this planet who eats food.
