Sage Hill Dairy
Pete & Mike Olsen | Fallon, NV | Fifth Generation | 🐄 Milking 700 Jersey Cows
Pete and Mike Olsen didn’t choose dairy farming. It chose them.
Growing up alongside their dad and uncles, the Olsen brothers absorbed the rhythms of farm life before they could drive a tractor. Their father still owns and operates Hillside Dairy, a family institution that’s been running since 1915.
In 2006, Pete and Mike built something of their own. Sage Hill Dairy is home to a herd of Jersey cows, a breed known for producing exceptionally rich, high-quality milk.
But ask them what farming has really given them, and they’ll tell you it goes beyond the milk.
“Farming builds problem solvers. It builds people who can face adversity and keep going.“
Pete’s Day on the Farm
- Start at 5:30am
- Make sure the team has everything they need to care for the cows
- Solve today’s challenges
- Plan for the future
Get to Know Pete
- Pete and Michelle have 2 daughters and 2 grandsons
- Go-to meal: Smash burger with cheese
- Favorite treat: Ice cream
- Favorite TV show: Brooklyn 99
- Favorite thing about Nevada: Wide open spaces
Cottonwood Dairy
The Sorensen Family | Fallon, NV | Fourth Generation | 🐄 Milking 1,700 Holstein Cows
Cottonwood Dairy has been part of Nevada agriculture since 1928. Nearly a century later, the farm is still in the family.
Brothers Gavin and Tim Sorensen run the dairy alongside cousins, uncles, and a tight-knit crew who have kept this operation growing across four generations. A new barn expanded milking capacity from 900 cows to 1,700 and counting.
The values that guide them? Honesty, integrity, and a hard day’s work. As they’ll tell you: you reap what you sow.
Their Day on the Farm
- Checking in with the team
- Handling the business side
- Getting hands-on with equipment and farm projects
Get to Know Tim
- Favorite dairy product: Cheese
- Favorite recipe: Homemade ice cream
- Favorite TV show: The Office
- Favorite season: Spring when the crops start to wake up from their winter sleep
- Favorite thing about Nevada: Sunsets
Get to Know Gavin
- Favorite dairy products: Chocolate milk, cheese, butter
- Favorite meal to make: Steak cooked in butter with a mushroom sauce
- Favorite hobbies: Boating at the lake and hunting
- Favorite TV show: The Office
- Favorite season: The fall when everything starts to slow down
- Favorite thing about Nevada: The outdoors
Liberty Jersey Farm, Inc.
Ted Christoph | Fallon, NV | Second Generation | 🐄 Milking 600 Jersey Cows
Growing up on Liberty Jersey Farm, Ted learned from his father that farming is as much about character as it is about cattle. Liberty Jersey raises a carefully selected herd of pure Jerseys, Holstein-Jersey crosses, and Norwegian Red-Jersey crosses, each chosen for outstanding milk quality.
If Ted could name one value above the rest, it’s persistence.
“Farming teaches you that no matter what challenges come — weather, markets, equipment, animals — you keep going.“
His Day on the Farm:
- Start with a clear plan for the day
- First priority is always the animals that need attention
- Ordering feed, checking equipment, and staying ahead of whatever comes next
Get to Know Ted:
- Favorite dairy product: All of them!
- Favorite recipe: Sweet charity pie
- Favorite memory on the farm: There are so many it’s hard to pick just on. A life full of memories on this land is something I wouldn’t trade for anything.
- Favorite season: Early summer. The weather is perfect, life is growing all around you, and the colors of the Nevada landscape are stunning.
- Favorite thing about Nevada: The people, the mountains, and those sunrises and sunsets.
Dairy Farms in Nevada
Nevada is home to just over 20 dairy farms ranging in size from 500 cows to over 25,000 cows, and as a state ranks 32nd in milk production by volume. The region is excellent for growing forages and providing a dry, comfortable climate for dairy cows. Much of the fluid milk stays in Nevada — supplying 3 fluid milk plants and 1 milk powder plant. The milk powder produced in Nevada supplies high-quality protein to people all over the world. Though Nevada is a small milk-producing state — just 0.3% of the country’s total milk volume — it is a significant contributor to the local economy and can produce enough to supply its entire population with fluid milk.
We pride ourselves in being Nevada farmers with a strong focus on sustainability and innovation. We’re always enhancing our farm and our product. We do this by focusing on cow comfort and seasonal fine-tuning of their diets for optimal nutrition. It’s a misconception that dairies are not data-driven operations, we track everything we do.
Val Christoph, Dairy Farmer & Owner, Liberty Jersey Farm
