NOTE: The following photos were taken by Cornucopia staff during our June 30, 2006 visit to Horizon’s Idaho dairy. Although we toured the farm as guests of Dean Foods/WhiteWave management we were asked not to take photographs during our visit. All of the following photographs were taken from the public right-of-way along adjacent roadways after our formal tour while we were closely monitored by security staff.

The next set of photographs show what Horizon’s farm management refers to as “winter housing.” The images were previously taken by one of our members who farms in Idaho. As you view these, it must be noted that during our staff visit in June, 2006 to the facility, the majority of all cattle were still confined to their winter housing. Although the following photos were taken by our member at a different time of the year, they show the farm’s confinement approach that is regularly used.

 

Horizon dairy’s happy cows
Cluster of industrial buildings
Feedlot conditions
Sheds with mountains of manure in the background
Not so happy downer cow and other cows heading to be milked
Area 51!!
Calf hutches amongst the desert scrub grass
Sheds with mountains of manure in the background (when cattle are confined rather than being on pasture they create tremendous quantities of manure)
Jam packed (happy) cows and mounds of manure
Stocks of hay to feed some 4000 animals in front of windrows of manure from the thousands of cows.
The happiest looking cow on the spread
Scores of bale feeders in an area suffering degradation by great concentrations of cattle (according to our reports some of the staff at the farm have referred to this as “pasture”)
All of the baby calves are sold at birth to avoid the expense of raising them as organic animals
Inside the milk parlor