Dairy farmers welcome rain, despite sloppy conditions

TULARE COUNTY, Calif. (KFSN) -- Cows aren't always content in wet weather.

It can make for some sloppy conditions on dairy farms.

But things are in order on Joey Airoso's farm near Pixley.

The last 24 hours have been especially wet here.

"We have some protocols in place to make sure that we're keeping the pens as dry as possible and a good place for the animals to lay," Airoso said.

Airoso also keeps an eye on how well water is draining on his property.

These steps are important, because simply put, he says cows are happier and more productive when they're less stressed by external events like storms.

"The people take care of the cows, and the cows take care of the people," Airoso said. "So the better place you can give these cows to live, to have an individual bed, to provide good nutrition for them every day, the better chance that they're going to produce milk which makes your operation really efficient."

In the long run, Airoso knows this rain will help his farm.

Hopefully it means more surface water to irrigate the crops that feed his animals, as opposed to having to pump more water out of the ground.

"You know after going through a four year drought, I think this rain is really pretty welcome by everybody that I know, everybody in the dairy industry."