Bucher Farms, adjacent to Bucher Vineyard’s 38 acres of grapes, is located in the Middle Reach of the Russian River Valley near Healdsburg in Sonoma County, California. The farm has been in John Bucher’s family for over 55 years and is where he grew up. Along with operating Bucher Vineyard, John manages the day-to-day operations of the farm’s organic dairy with 700 milk cows and 700 replacement heifers, calves, and bulls.
In the early 1950s, both of John’s parents, Joe and Annemarie left their native Switzerland, immigrating to the United States. 1958 was a big year for the Buchers’, they got married, moved to Healdsburg, and fulfilled their dream of owning a dairy. Joe and Annemarie used their hard-earned savings to purchase a 360-acre dairy, which was once part of the original 11,000-acre White-O Ranch. The dairy began with only 50 head of dairy cows and a few calves. Today’s herd are descendants of the original 50 cows.
Since their start in 1958, Joe, Annemarie, and their son John have steadily increased the size and quality of their dairy herd by utilizing their own stock in selective breeding programs.