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[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E419]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
HONORING ALBERT STRAUS
______
HON. JARED HUFFMAN
of california
in the house of representatives
Monday, April 8, 2019
Mr. HUFFMAN. Madam Speaker, I rise today in recognition of Albert
Straus, the founder and CEO of Straus Family Creamery. Under Albert
Straus' leadership the Straus Family Creamery became the first creamery
in the country to become one hundred percent certified organic. Twenty-
five years later, the business is not only thriving, but has created a
model for sustainable family dairy farming that has been replicated to
great success.
The oldest of four children, Albert Straus grew up on his family's
dairy farm in northern California. The son of William and Ellen Straus,
his father founded the dairy in 1941, after fleeing to the United
States as a refugee from Nazi Germany. Albert left his family's dairy
to go to college, but returned in 1977, after earning a bachelor's
degree in Dairy Science from California Polytechnic State University,
San Luis Obispo. Albert took over management of the dairy alongside his
father, but realized that changes would need to be made if family-run
dairy farms were going to survive the growth of larger industrial
competitors.
Over the course of the nearly two decades that followed, Albert
Straus implemented innovative solutions at his family dairy that
improved both the stewardship of the land and the farm's economic
vitality. These solutions included the cessation of herbicides and
chemical fertilizers, the use of planting methods that reduced soil
erosion, and the use of food waste for cow feed, among many others.
Finally, in 1994, Straus opened the first certified organic dairy and
creamery west of the Mississippi River and the first 100 percent
certified organic creamery in the U.S.
Today, the Straus Family Creamery has had great success, both
economically, and in its mission to create a farming community that is
committed to stewardship of the land. Albert Straus has been a model
and mentor for many other family dairy farms. Now nearly ninety percent
of all dairy farms in the region are certified organic, and as a
result, family farms are continuing to thrive. Still a leader in
innovation, the Straus Family Dairy Farm uses a methane digester to
turn the 4,000 gallons of manure that it produces daily into compost
and renewable energy. This energy not only powers the 500-acre farm,
but also Albert Straus' harvester truck.
Madam Speaker, Albert Straus' leadership and vision has proven that
environmentally-sustainable farming can both turn a profit and support
a larger community of family farms and distributors. And at a time when
the public has grown increasingly more concerned by the means and
consolidation of food production, his example is that much more
significant. Therefore, please join me in recognizing Albert Straus and
the success of the Straus Family Creamery, on the occasion of its 25th
anniversary.
____________________
