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Yakima County commissioners decry closure of Cow Palace Dairy, warn of local job losses
Summary
Commissioners expressed dismay after news that Cow Palace Dairy is closing; they said about 20 full-time jobs will be lost and criticized federal environmental enforcement as overreach. Remarks were made during commissioner updates, not as formal board action.
Commissioners at the Yakima County work session on March 13 responded to a news report that Cow Palace Dairy plans to close, saying the loss will affect local jobs and supply chains.
“This is really unfortunate,” Commissioner Linde said, noting the dairy had worked to comply with Environmental Protection Agency requirements and that some in the industry viewed the facility as a model. Commissioner Linde said the closure will affect roughly 20 full-time employees and local service businesses that supported the operation.
Commissioner McKinney criticized federal enforcement actions, calling those who pushed for the dairy’s closure “extremists who have a very narrow thinking of the way people should live their lives,” and saying the action will harm family-owned, generational businesses and the local philanthropic contributions they made.
The remarks came during the commissioners’ general updates and did not represent formal board action. No staff presentation, legal analysis, or formal motion about the dairy was recorded during the work session. Commissioners said the closure will have ripple effects on suppliers and neighboring farms but did not provide an economic-impact study or precise employment counts beyond the estimate noted in the remarks.
