Starting in California
Brothers Jerry and Andy Vaz are the owners of Vaz Dairy in Roswell, New Mexico. Their entrepreneurial spirit and love for dairy farming started with their grandfather, Evaristo Vaz. He emigrated from the Azores Islands in 1906 and established a farm in California. Their father, Raymond, followed in his footsteps, building a 300-cow dairy in the San Joaquin Valley.
A generation later, Andy and Jerry joined the family operation as Raymond packed up his family and several hundred dairy cows to move to eastern New Mexico. They wanted the opportunity to expand their herd and grow their own feed.
The move paid off. The family formed Vaz Dairy, leased an existing facility near Roswell, and tripled the herd size to 900 cows. Ten years later, Jerry and Andy formed a partnership and bought the business.
Running the Dairy
Today, the Vaz brothers milk 3,500 cows and raise 3,000 replacement heifers. They are members of Select Milk Producers, and much of their milk is sold to Leprino Foods, the world’s largest mozzarella cheesemaker.
They also grow 70% of their feed — wheat, barley, alfalfa, corn, and sorghum — on 1,500 acres of farmland.
Jerry and Andy continually seek ways to improve efficiency and reduce risk. They forward-contract milk and participate in the Dairy Revenue Protection insurance program, which protects against unexpected declines in milk revenue. They’ve also expanded their milking facility and redesigned pens every decade to maximize efficiency and capacity.
“The number of cows three employees used to milk in one hour, we are now able to milk in 45 minutes due to remodeling,” Jerry said.
The Right Move
Jerry and Andy Vaz knew they had found the right lender the first time they reviewed their financial records with Shane Hall, SVP of Commercial Credit at AgTrust Farm Credit.
“Shane looked at our portfolio and said he could work with us to meet our immediate and long-term business goals,” Jerry said. “Now, we are well-situated thanks to our work with Shane and AgTrust Farm Credit.”
Originally published by AgTrust Farm Credit
