Invocation: Ray Watson
Flag Salute: Jean Luc Slagle

Guests:

Win Eaton introduced his beautiful wife Norma of 40+ years
Jason Cater introduced Gary Allen, the Assistant City Manager of Bakersfield
Toni introduced Lissette Ma, Dr. Albert Ma, and Traco Mathews as her guests

Good News & Announcements:

Win shared that he and his wife are moving back to Bakersfield! Welcome home, Win and Norma.

Scott Hamilton announced that his daughter welcomed her second baby two weeks ago—June Elizabeth. Congrats, Scott!

Sheryl Barbich had a free good news announcement to share, thanks to Jean Luc’s new Rotary game. She’s headed to Nashville next week!

Toni highlighted a few things before the program began:

Happy Birthday this week to Christina Springstead, Mark Barnes, and Charlie Moe!

Not so great news. Dr. Ken Secor is facing some health challenges. There will be an opportunity at next week’s meeting to write a card of encouragement as he and Mrs. Secor go through this difficult time.

Program:

This week, our Rotary Club took the show on the road for a special off-site meeting at California Dairies, where Plant Manager Troy Hancock gave Rotarians an inside look at one of the Central Valley’s newest and most technologically advanced dairy processing facilities.

Troy shared the story of how the facility came to Bakersfield, beginning with California Dairies’ search for a location with access to water, power, natural gas, wastewater infrastructure, and—perhaps most importantly—the incredible dairy industry already surrounding Kern County. After extensive research, the company secured the property and began developing what is now a major investment in our community.

The facility represents an initial investment of approximately $300 million, with plans to grow that investment to roughly $750 million as additional processing lines are added. The long-term vision is to build one of the largest and most technologically advanced dairy processing facilities in the world.

Rotarians also learned about the impressive technology behind the operation. California Dairies produces a variety of dairy products, including extended-shelf-life milk, cream, chocolate milk, and other specialized products that are distributed throughout the United States and exported internationally. The facility is designed to receive up to 50 milk tankers per day initially, with the capacity to expand significantly as production grows.
Sustainability was another major part of the conversation. The facility is transitioning toward generating its own electricity through innovative linear generator technology, with the goal of becoming fully self-sufficient in power generation. California Dairies also operates its own wastewater treatment system and anaerobic digester, which will allow the facility to capture biogas and further reduce its environmental impact.

And, of course, the success of a facility like this starts with the farmers. Troy highlighted the quality of California dairy products and the sustainability practices being implemented by dairy farmers throughout the state. With numerous dairy farms located within just a few miles of the facility, Kern County provides an ideal location for California Dairies to continue growing.
A big thank you to Troy Hancock and the California Dairies team for welcoming Rotary and giving us such a fascinating behind-the-scenes look at an operation that is helping put Kern County agriculture on the world stage. It was a great opportunity to learn more about a major local employer, the technology transforming dairy processing, and the exciting growth happening right here in our own backyard.

And yes—there may have been some chocolate milk ‘shots’ involved. We are Rotarians, after all!