County's final dairy farm closes down
<p>Randy Poelstra, left, and his son Garrett, on the family’s dairy farm north of Kootenai. The Poelstra farm, the last commercial producer-handler dairy farm in Bonner County, will be shutting down soon. Four decades ago there were about 40 large-scale dairy farms in Bonner County, Randy said. (Photo by LEE HUGHES)</p>
SANDPOINT — There are plenty of rural properties to be found in Bonner County, stylized homes with barn-like outbuildings, manicured lawns and paved driveways on acreage that attempt to achieve the look of an idealized farm.
But when you park your vehicle on the dusty hardpan of the 160-acre Poelstra dairy farm adjacent to Shingle Mill Road north of Kootenai, you know you’ve arrived at the real deal.
The Poelstras is a three-generation working farm, and about as far from an estate farm as you can get. It’s the last large-herd, producer-handler, commercial dairy farm in Bonner County, and after three generations of milk production, the barn doors will soon be shut on dairy farming for good.
“This is it,” Randy Poelstra said, rubbing his coarse, weathered hands across his two-day gray facial stubble. “There are no more large dairy farms.”
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