Fiscalini Farms milks 1,500 cows, three times a day.
John Fiscalini (top center), along with his family, own and operate Fiscalini Farms and Fiscalini Cheese Company near Modesto, California.
Humble Beginnings Fiscalini Farms traces back to 1914 when the family began dairy farming in northern California. While the dairy initially started with 10 cows, two more generations of Fiscalinis continued the family tradition and substantially grew the farming operation. After John Fiscalini, representing the third generation, traveled to Switzerland to trace the family’s roots, he decided to add another family tradition to the operation: cheese making. This decision allowed the fourth generation to become involved, with John’s children, Laura Genasci and Brian Fiscalini, overseeing day-to-day operations alongside their father.
The quality of the farm and its products can also be attributed to every employee who works at Fiscalini Farms and Fiscalini Cheese Company. Brian boasts that a big part of their success is due to their employees and the excellent relationships that exist. With 39 dedicated employees, the Fiscalinis can trust each task will get done efficiently and effectively.
To ensure customers and consumers understand the industry, Brian became an advocate for agriculture. In fact, he recently starred in a program called Acres and Avenues, where he spent time with an urban guitar maker, and they learned about each other’s trade.
Looking Forward The great care the family puts into every aspect of their operation, makes the Fiscalinis well-positioned for the future, with hopes that a fifth generation will one day carry on the farming tradition. Looking forward, the two main areas of focus are the cheese plant and pushing the herd forward genetically. For Fiscalini Cheese Company that means working to develop their artesian cheeses and expanding the market. For the herd, it means continuing to breed for Milk, pounds of Protein, DPR and Somatic Cell Count. By staying on the cutting edge, while remembering where they came from, the Fiscalini’s have a firm foundation with eyes on a bright future.
HORIZONS
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Watch Brian’s episode of Acres and Avenues. http://bit.ly/Acres-Avenues1
Everything the Fiscalini family does is dotted with leadership and innovation. Currently milking 1,500 cows (100 Jerseys, 20 Brown Swiss and the remainder Holsteins) three times a day, the Fiscalinis strongly believe in animal welfare and cow comfort, and it shows in their numbers, averaging 90 pounds of milk per day with Holsteins, 75 with Brown Swiss and 65 with Jerseys. Brian (pictured above, at left), who serves as the dairy manager, credits genomics as revolutionizing the dairy industry and indicates genomic testing and great nutrition have led to impressive reproductive results. The farm boasts
The value of quality begins with the Fiscalini’s cow care and continues through to their final product: farmstead artesian cheese. Milk from the family’s herd moves to their cheese plant, Fiscalini Cheese Company, just 30 feet from the farm. They make their award‑winning cheese by hand and believe this traditional style is worth the extra effort.
The Fiscalinis are also committed to sustainability. In 2009, two methane digesters were constructed. These digesters produce enough power to run the farm, cheese plant and 300 area homes. The dairy is also able to save 300,000 gallons of water a day by using recycled water.
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Leading the Industry
a 27% pregnancy rate and 52% first service conception rate on cows and 64% on heifers. “Genomics have allowed us to cull lots of low Daughter Pregnancy Rate (DPR) heifers,” says Brian. Genomic testing has also meant lower genetic animals can be bred to beef sires, commanding a premium price over dairy calves. A GENEX member for about five years, Brian appreciates the direction the cooperative is moving with the new Ideal Commercial Cow (ICC$) index, stating the focus on commercial dairy producers by highlighting functional traits is spot on for him.
Employee retention is important to the Fiscalinis. They take pride in the dedication of their workforce.