Where the Cows Come Home

I got to have my first real conversation with Randy Lewis over lunch at the Saxapahaw General Store. Randy was joined by Cheryl Braswell, who I’m told is the “dream keeper.” Randy and Cheryl are both regular patrons of the store- Randy only lives 3 miles away from our little store. I see them often, stopping in for lunch, purchasing daily provisions, and stocking our shelves with Ran-Lew dairy products, but I’ve never sat down to have a conversation with either of them. We start in on the usual historical questions about Ran-Lew dairy and immediately I know this is not your typical story. I’m instantly met with a heart breaking story that truly demonstrates the power of love.

For many years the 110 acre Lewis farm has been a small dairy operation. In fact, Randy tells me there are no records – that have been found yet – of another family owning the little slice of North Carolina land where his cattle graze. Randy’s grandmother was a great influence on him and imbued her love of the land and of animals onto Randy. Up until 2009 the farm was run as a small dairy farm, supplying milk to the much larger pool of our nation’s dairy. When the economy crashed in 2009, many farmers took fatal hits. Two changes were especially deadly for dairy farmers- the cost of grain jumped while the cost of milk dropped- so these farmers were having to pay a lot more to keep operations up and running, and were being paid a lot less for their product. Many dairy farmers were forced to shut down their operations and sell all of their cattle. Randy told me that through this time period he saw many friends and colleagues lose everything they had worked so hard to achieve. Despite this trend of folding farms Randy, with the encouragment and enthusiasm of his niece Megan Riggans, took out a loan to keep his dairy farm going. The plan was to move from a small commercial dairy to a dairy producer/ processor. Randy and Megan continued developing plans and preparing for the transition to expand the dairy farm over the next couple of years. However, in September of 2012, Megan and her husband were on their way to the hospital to deliver their first child when they were in a car accident that took Megan’s life. Their son Will was delivered and placed in intensive care, he died 10 days later.

Here’s where I learned about the power of community and the love of friends. Funerals can be expensive events and difficult for many to afford. Friends of the Lewis and Riggans family and fellow dairy farmers began sending checks to help pay for funeral expenses. The folks in the business of death were also touched by the story and the loss of such a bright life and waived many of the funeral expenses. At the end of the day, $24 was paid for the funeral and burial of Megan and Will. There was still a great sum of money donated by friends, family, and colleagues. The family decided the best thing to do was to put this money into an endowment, and thereby the Megan Mann Riggans & Will Riggans Memorial Scholarship was created. “The endowment will be used to provide scholarships for undergraduate students from the state of North Carolina who are enrolled in agricultural programs at N. C. State University, N.C. A&T State University or Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, with first preference given to students in a dairy-related curriculum. In addition to the universities’ criteria in selecting recipients for the merit-based awards, eligibility requirements also include active participation in 4-H, FFA, the N.C. Guernsey Association or the N.C. Junior Holstein Association.” Due to Randy’s personal tragedy, some of the little extra responsibilities that a person takes on were moved to the back burner. Among these was the application for a grant that would provide the extra money necessary to move forward with the dairy production company. This is where the “dream keeper” comes in. Randy had all but resolved to toss aside the grant that Megan had been writing when Cheryl encouraged him to submit it- “what’s the worst that could happen?” The grant money was awarded and thus began the full-steam-ahead move towards making the dairy production company dream a reality.

The Ran-Lew Milk Dairy Company has about 200 cows, most of which have their own name. There are 70-80 “ladies of the farm” that are milked regularly and the milk is bottled on the same day of milking. Ran-Lew whole milk is unique in that it is non-homogenized and has none of the cream skimmed off. The buttermilk contains only milk, salt, and cultures- essentially this milk would follow the Reinheitsgebot – German purity laws ordering that beer can only consist of water, barley, and hops – of dairy (if they existed). Though the USDA and FDA have their own regulations dictating what can be called “healthier,” Randy suggests that “if less processing is better, than ours should be better” and some studies suggest that non-homogenized milk is easier to digest than homogenized milk. Even the chocolate milk follows this purity formula with no carrageenan or corn starch. You’ll notice that the cocoa in Ran-Lew chocolate milk will begin to separate without these emulsifiers, but after testing about 20 different iterations of the chocolate milk and a roomful of people taste-testing each one, they’ve perfected a recipe that is unmatched and superbly delicious, enough so that Randy drinks a quart of it every morning for breakfast.

Like his milk, Randy is a bit of a purest about certain things. He likes to know where his food comes from and he likes coming to eat at the Saxapahaw General Store because we can offer the local source of many of our dishes. Randy has his usual bowl of chili- he tells me, like cows; he’s a creature of habit, Cheryl was eating one of our mixed greens salads with roasted veggies on top. Our conversation moves from milk processing to the many animals and people who have migrated to the Lewis family farm over the years, to growing up in Alamance County. Randy talks about his wilder days as a deadhead, surrounded by his many cousins and friends enjoying the freedom of live music and the drink and other substances that partnered so naturally with the hippie culture of the 60s. He tells me about some of his longtime friends and about the many animals that have made their way into the Lewis family. I’m particularly struck by the story of his “yard cow in training,” Biddy. She was born prematurely during the winter season and they did not think she was going to make it, but Randy says, “she didn’t give up, so we didn’t give up on her.” I’m reminded of the incredible gift of each new day and how important it is to live fully, intentionally, and with love and joy in your heart.

Randy is an inspiring human being who truly treats all creatures with love and respect. He’s taken on a great amount of monetary debt in developing the Ran-Lew Milk Dairy Company, but he knows that if he continues working hard at it and finding success this will offer a better life for his whole family and generations to come. Ran-Lew Milk Dairy is a milk producer/provider and is one of only six in the State of North Carolina and with any luck the care and attention he gives to his craft of producing milk will catch on and echo throughout the entire agricultural industry of our country.