LATON, Calif. — When Melvin Medeiros, son of first-generation dairy farmers, was 9, a bull killed his dad. His parents, immigrants from the Portuguese Azores Islands, had saved for a decade to buy a small herd of cows. Medeiros’ mom, determined not to let the dream die, too, bought 38 acres in dusty Laton, Calif.

When Medeiros turned 18, he recalls his mom handing him the dairy, saying, “You are now the next in line. Make it work.”

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