Krainick Dairy

06/01/2026

June 1st is World Milk Day! It’s amazing to think that the milk produced on our farm gets consumed around the globe. Filmed in 2018 for the Port of Seattle, the farm to table message remains true today. This video was seen by every cruise ship passenger embarking in Seattle and at numerous trade shows. Also featured is Darigold butter and LBA Baking Co.

Sharing local products with cruise ship passengers is a huge opport...

06/01/2026

Days like today make putting up with winter worthwhile. We started harvesting our second cutting today. In Western Washington, this is almost unheard of in May. However, the dry stretches allow us to harvest, then we have rain for a few days followed by another dry spell. It's perfect weather for growing high-quality grass silage.

05/07/2026

Why did I purchase five cans of black spray paint from our local hardware store today? Shout out to Gateway for having it in stock. It’s literally a lifesaver for crows and cows!

05/05/2026

Leann, along with many other local farmers FFA and 4-H members, will be there to discuss all things farming. Tickets are $54, include an amazing dinner and benefit youth prize money for the King County Fair.

05/02/2026

A friendly reminder that tractors belonging to your local farmers are back on the road including our manure tankers which help support about a half dozen of the remaining dairies on the Enumclaw Plateau. Please drive carefully around farm machinery. But, why do we need a manure tanker?
Here are a few things you may not know about local farms and why managing manure is an enormous task.
1. Liquid manure can only be applied during the growing season (typically April - October).
2. All manure, rain water and driveway runoff must be captured and stored in lagoons. Having manure in ditches and waterways is illegal.
3. Every commercial farm is required to have a Certified Nutrient Management Plan which includes crop production records, weather, manure application rates and lab tests for soil from every farmed field and manure. Over applying is prohibited.
4. Dept of Ecology is constantly on the Plateau collecting water samples from local streams or ditches and flying overhead looking for over flowing manure storage ponds.
5. Manure is applied, the grass grows and harvested about three weeks later and the process starts again throughout the summer or until the heat burns up the grass. The odor from the manure is the fertilizer (NPK) and organic matter breaking down. It is absorbed and used by growing grass within a few days. Rainfall will expedite the process.
6. Two manure tankers from our farm like the one pictured here, each haul 7400 gallons to the nearly 1400 acres we farm on the Plateau. They are pulled by a 250hp JCB Fastrac which has a top speed of 31 mph loaded. Each tractor and tanker unit has a price tag of $300,000.
7. All of the grass harvested is used to feed the nearly 6000 dairy cows on the Plateau whose milk is shipped to local milk processing plants - Darigold, Organic Valley, Safeway or Smith Brothers.

Thanks to all of those who cherish our Enumclaw heritage and appreciate the hard work that goes into farming. If you have questions, please ask!! We don’t give farm tours, but I’ll do my best to answer in a timely manner.

10/07/2025

Thanks Washington Grown!

🍂🐄 Beer, pumpkins, and a whole lot more — Seattle’s fall tradition takes on a life of its own! In Pumpkins, Pints, and Cow Pies, we explore how Enumclaw’s serene pastures and Krainick Dairy are quietly fueling the Great Pumpkin Beer Festival in the most sustainable way.
Here’s how it all comes together:
Breweries like Elysian use pumpkins in their seasonal ales — after brewing, the spent grain doesn’t go to waste. It’s sent to Krainick Dairy to feed the cows. Washington Grown

The cows produce manure, which the farm turns into rich compost (“Scarecrow’s Pride”) that helps grow giant pumpkins — including some that break records. Washington Grown

These massive pumpkins get the full festival treatment: weighed, displayed, tapped as beer kegs (yes, you read that right), then after the festivities they go back to the dairy as a special treat for the herd. Washington Grown

It’s a beautiful cycle — what many see as waste becomes fuel for growth, flavor, and community celebration. A reminder that when farms, brewers, and growers work together, even cow pies can lead to something wonderful. 🌱🍻
https://www.wagrown.com/blog/beer/item/pumpkins-pints-and-cow-pies

10/01/2025

The latest edition of Washington Grown magazine arrived in the mail today with an article about our sustainability efforts with giant pumpkins, compost and beer! Washington Grown has filmed several videos over the last decade at our dairy, but we had no idea we would be in a magazine. Thanks for the surprise!
(Link to September issue is in the comments of the original post. Read the entire magazine. It’s full of great content and free.)

09/22/2025

Time for your annual fall photo. The giant pumpkin is here! Our annual pumpkin weigh off we sponsored in Seattle is no longer. But, current state record holder and good friend, Joel Holland, made sure we had one for all to enjoy! This beauty is 800 lbs. and spent the last three weeks at the Washington State Fair. In honor of this monster weight, we will be donating $800 to the Enumclaw Senior Center Activities Fund. Huge thanks to the Hollands for letting this beauty stay with us for all of you to enjoy. Located at 40129 236th Ave SE, Enumclaw, WA.

09/10/2025

If you visit the Washington State Fair, stop by the Agriplex. Leann is there every afternoon bottle feeding our two heifers at 3:30, giving impromptu talks and being the “emcee” for any births that happen during fair hours at the Cattle Birthing Exhibit. Thirteen calves have been born so far with three during the day. This fair is one of ten largest in the US and open until September 21 (closed Tuesday).

08/27/2025

A few encouraging words on the first day of school. Thirty-five years ago, I walked through these doors at Oregon State University’s Strand Agricultural Building with a goal of earning a BS in Animal Science. In the 1990’s, not being from a farm and being a woman made it that much harder. My learning curve was steep and even basic ag terms like silage, lactation and soil analysis were not in my vocabulary. The ultimate insult was when my academic advisor told me that I will never amount to anything in agriculture. Well, he was wrong. I graduated, got a job workng for a feed company in Seattle and have since found a way to publically share my knowledge of agriculture. If you hit a rocky road, work hard, surround yourself with teachers or mentors that want you to succeed and DON’T GIVE UP! Have a great year! -Leann