CHEMICAL-FREE DAIRY FARM FARMHANDS STAY OFF DRUGS, ALCOHOL
COWS ON ORGANIC REGIMEN

The dairy cows and the farmhands at St. Anthony Farm near Petaluma
have a common bond: They are both kicking chemical dependency. The 43
men and women who live and work at the farm are participants in St.
Anthony Foundation's long-running drug and alcohol rehabilitation
program. The Holstein herd has been getting off hormones, antibiotics
and feed touched by agricultural chemicals as part of the farm's
recent commitment to produce organic milk.

Clover Stornetta Farms of Petaluma will process and distribute the
organic milk from St. Anthony Farm, and the first cartons should start
showing up in markets a week from Sunday. The goal of these dairies
and a few others is to elevate milk from a commodity to a specialty
product that sells for as much as 50 percent more than nonorganic milk.

The move to chemical-free cows and milk was a natural one for St.
Anthony's, which is best known for dispensing Franciscan values and
2,100 free meals a day in San Francisco's Tenderloin.

``It makes sense philosophically,'' said St. Anthony Farm director Vic
Allcorn. ``We're asking our clients who are chemically dependent to
free themselves from drugs and alcohol, so why not do the same with
our cattle and our land?''

To qualify for the rehab program, which mixes farm chores with
counseling and clean living, the enrollees must be alcohol- and
drug-free for at least 72 hours. Most are referred to the program by
Bay Area social service agencies or by graduates.

They live in clean but spartan dormitories and arise at 6:30 each
morning for chores such as cooking, cleaning, gardening and tending to
the animals. They get three cafeteria-style meals a day, plus group
and individual counseling. Once a week, Friar Jeremiah Grimaud, a
Franciscan who wears boots with his habit, leads spiritual
discussions.

The cattle, 220 Holstein milking cows and their heirs, lead a
regimented life, too.

For cows to win certification from the Organic Crop Improvement
Association, their grazing land must be free of all man-made chemicals
for three years. Then, for one year before certification, the cattle
must be weaned from grains that are grown using conventional
herbicides, pesticides and fertilizers.

For 10 months, they munch 80 percent organic corn, barley, soy bean
and cotton seed and no more than 20 percent regular feed. For the
final two months, the cows must go cold turkey and consume no
conventional feed, hormones or antibiotics.

Allcorn said the farm emphasizes preventive health for the cows. That
means keeping the stalls clean and the cows comfortable. Their bedding
is changed frequently, and it includes almond shells and dried manure.

If the bovines get sick, dairy manager Jim Kehoe said, they can be
treated with aspirin (the equivalent of about 10 tablets a few times a
day) without jeopardizing their organic status.

If they are seriously ill, however, antibiotics will be administered.
But after the animal recovers, it will be sold to another dairy.
Antibiotics linger in the system for as long as 180 days, and that is
too long to keep a cow out of commission.

The change in diet does not seem to have riled the ruminants. One
recent rainy afternoon, the cows waited patiently in line for as long
as an hour for their twice-daily turn at the milking machines. Each
cow produces an average of 3.6 gallons at each five-minute milking.

``The cows are doing just great,'' said Justin Pelletier, who works at
the farm. ``It's a pretty calming place.''

Pelletier, 26, grew up in western Marin County and has been battling
alcoholism and homelessness. For the past six months, he has been at
St. Anthony Farm. He especially enjoys feeding and caring for the calves.

``It takes some getting used to,'' he said. ``I've never worked around
cows, and it's isolated here. But it's definitely a start.'' Pelletier
hopes to go on to St. Anthony's Covenant House in San Francisco, which
helps residents make the transition to independent living and
employment. He is thinking about becoming a house painter.

David Brooks, 38, was homeless in Vallejo and hooked on speed before
he came to the farm six months ago. He does not mind getting up at
6:30 a.m. and doing chores every morning and afternoon six days a
week. ``I like working with the animals and have only left the farm
for two trips to the store,'' he said. Brooks plans to return
eventually to a job in fast food or at a department store.

Joe Dentoni, who abused alcohol for decades, liked St. Anthony Farm so
much that he is back as a paid dairyman living on the property. He
graduated from the program in 1996. ``I didn't make it through a
Salvation Army program,'' said Dentoni, who grew up in the Marin
hamlet of Nicasio. ``One of the reasons I came here is it is something
I know about.''

St. Anthony Foundation has owned the farm 15 miles west of Petaluma
since 1954. In the early years, it was used as a shelter for men with
a minimal work component. Then it was turned into a pig farm, but
Allcorn said that was neither a good business venture nor ecologically
sound.

Today the dairy is both environmentally and economically successful.
San Francisco-based St. Anthony Foundation has a $14.7 million budget
for its food, housing, drug rehab and other social services, and the
farm is its only self-supporting venture. It produces organic
vegetables as well as milk. Last year, it generated $850,000 in revenue.

St. Anthony's does not keep figures on how many graduates of the farm
program stay off drugs and alcohol. But spokeswoman Tracey Hammond
figures, ``It's well over 50 percent long term.''