In the heart of central California lies Lumar Dairy, a testament to the extraordinary journey of a family that turned sheer determination into a thriving agricultural enterprise. Founded in the late 1960s by a group of dedicated brothers from the Borba family, Lumar Dairy has grown from its humble beginnings. Louie Borba, an essential part of this legacy, recounts the story of hard work, innovation and generational shifts that have shaped their success.
A Family’s Dairy Dream
Borba’s father and two uncles began their American story like many immigrants, working tirelessly on farms despite language barriers and financial constraints. Emigrating from the Azores in pursuit of the American dream, the Borbas dreams materialized with the purchase of their first 35 cows and the rental of a small facility. By the late 70s, they had expanded to a larger farm, eventually building a new dairy facility in the mid-80’s.
As the family expanded, so did their business acumen. In the 90s, recognizing the need for individual growth and more specialized operations, the Borba family amicably split their venture into separate dairies, leading to the creation of Lumar Dairy in 1994, which Borba’s father managed and owned, until he eventually took over.
The Next Generation
Borba’s journey within this family business was almost predestined. Growing up as the only son among three sisters on the family dairy, his path was clear.
“It was always in my DNA,” he proudly says. His upbringing and the values imparted by his father and uncles — an unwavering commitment to family, faith and cows — provided a solid foundation for the dairy’s continued success.
“Hard work pays off,” he says, noting that was the key factor in the previous generation’s success.
Much like his parents’ generation, Borba and his wife find joy in raising their children on a family dairy. Their children participate in 4-H and sports but also head to the dairy to spend time learning from their father.
Borba and all of his cousins are continuing their father’s legacies.
“We still all get along,” he says. “I don’t have any brothers, so they’re like my older brothers, and we talk all the time and have a tight relationship.”
Borba is proud to say he is a cow guy, noting that he is still heavily involved in the day-to-day work on the farm, overseeing herdsman responsibilities, such as herd health vet checks.
Lumar uses a 70-30 ratio of beef to sexed semen usage on the milking herd, as Borba shares they are in growth mode.
“We are trying to recover from bad calf feeders,” he says. “I know how many heifers I need a month, and we’re exceeding that, and they’re staying alive.”
With incorporating SenseHub Dairy Youngstock [monitoring system] with the calves and increasing sexed semen usage, Borba plans to grow 300 cows this year and another 300 the following year, on their way to 2,400 head milking.
When it comes to technology, Borba’s were one of the first in their area to build a carousel parlor.
“Dad was all about technology and genetic gains,” he says. “We always used good bulls. We’ve bred AI forever, so he was always open to using new technology.”
Embracing Change and Technology
Lumar Dairy is anything but stuck in the past. From adopting genetic advancements such as RFID tags, using sexed semen, to implementing SenseHub Dairy collars for herd monitoring, Lumar Dairy consistently embraces innovation. Although, Borba notes that balancing risk and innovation require courage and a willingness to adapt.
When the decision to adopt new technology in calf care arose, Borba was uncertain. The potential was clear, yet choosing the right technology was pivotal. The idea was simple: get involved in a trial program, and if the technology worked, fantastic; if not, there were no significant losses.
“I didn’t know which calf monitoring system I wanted to go with because it all was new technology,” he says. “I didn’t want to invest in the wrong one, but I knew SenseHub was good.”
Borba’s journey with SenseHub Youngstock began in October 2022, but it wasn’t until a year and a half later that the system was truly optimized. The initial phase underscored a critical insight: Even the best technology fails without proper operation, evidenced by challenges with inadequate calf feeders.
“Good technology cannot be managed by a poor calf manager,” Borba says, noting that he took over managing the calves until he could find the right person. That occurred nearly a year later when he hired Maria. According to Borba, Maria was not just an employee; she brought a unique combination of dedication and passion to her role, traits indispensable for the transition to modernized calf care.
“Maria lives and breathes our calves,” he says. “She saw what I was doing, trusted me, believed in our protocols, and the transformation was like day and night.”
Borba said without using SenseHub, Maria is a good employee. But add the calf technology into the equation, and she is an excellent employee.
“She doesn’t have an ego and trusted the data coming off the reports,” he shares.
Since incorporating the technology and Maria, their calf death loss has dropped dramatically.
“The return on this investment is excellent. I was at 85 female dairy replacements when I started and now, I’m at 113,” Borba shares.
Borba incorporated SenseHub Dairy collars in October last year.
He says he likes both the reproduction and health benefits that the collars provide.
“Overall, our second service conception has increased, our breeding got better,” he says, noting his herd is still not immune to health issues, like pneumonia or scours. “But, we are able to address everything sooner.”
Borba says their death loss improved because calves were being treated on day one.
Going forward, Borba looks to progress and to constantly improve.
“You cannot start nitpicking, or you’ll go backwards,” he says, noting that he feels like the herd is in a good spot. “It’s just continuing to being consistent.”
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