New Book Chronicles Santa Maria’s Dairy History
SANTA MARIA, Calif. – Known primarily for it’s famous “Santa Maria Style BBQ,” and agriculture, especially strawberries, the City of Santa Maria was once also well known as the home of a thriving dairy industry.
“The dairy industry was so large here, it was bigger at its time than strawberries or cattle,” said Roxanne Ventriglia, who grew up on the family dairy farm. “The dairy industry was such a big part of our living experience, how the city ran, how the money came in.”
The Santa Maria Valley’s long dairy history is now the focus of a new book titled, The Purple Cow, A Dairy Daughter’s Heritage, which has just been released.
“It captures the history of the dairy industry from 1869 to 2005, but at a very personal level,” said Mike Farris, The Purple Cow editor. “This book captures and preserves that history and that heritage.”
The Purple Cow, took more than two years to put together, includes about 300 photographs and dozens of personal stories told by the book’s many contributors.
“In it are stories and histories of all the families and some of the families that came from Europe just to milk cows.” said Ventriglia.
Farris says the book, which was written by Laura Lee Tognazzini Dias, with the assistance of the Santa Maria Historical Society, will appeal to two types of readers.
“Those who have no idea about the dairy industry and will be fascinated to see how complicated it was, how hard the work was and then there are those who lived on the dairies and will be able to reminisce,” said Farris.
More than 70 contributors helped with the compilation of the book, including Ventriglia, who was named the area’s 1968 Dairy Princess by the American Dairy Association.
“That’s what we did was produce excellent milk,” said Ventriglia. “Most of the dairies were Holsteins, and they did a really great job of providing all the milk and dairy products that were needed in our area.”
The last working dairy closed in 2005 when the DeBernardi Brothers shut down operations. With the closure, a storied era that lasted more than 100 years ended in the Santa Maria Valley. However, that rich history is now preserved and is ready to be enjoyed in The Purple Cow.
The Purple Cow, A Dairy Daughter’s Heritage can be purchased at the Santa Maria Historical Society Museum, located at 616 South Broadway, Santa Maria, California.
