Sunny Knoll EcoFarm is owned and operated by the Greenleaf family.

Valerie is taking over more of the daily operations, pursuing her passion for dairy cows. She nurtures the herd, providing individualized attention to each cow, heifer, and calf. Because quality milk requires quality cows, and quality cows result from outstanding care every day, Valerie makes sure no detail is overlooked with the herd’s nutrition, comfort, and health. Valerie pioneered our use of horse blankets for our cows, which allows them to comfortably enjoy the pastures, sunshine, and fresh air even in the worst winter weather. Valerie taught herself everything about showing dairy cattle and shows our Guernseys nationwide, earning multiple All-American nominations.

Sarah grew up on a family farm in Virginia, where she helped to milk and care for about 100 registered Guernsey cows. She earned a PhD in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology from Princeton University with research on crop pollination and native bee conservation, completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of California-Davis researching sustainable wine grape production, and held a tenure-track position as assistant professor of conservation biology in Sacramento. Sarah resigned from that position to work full-time designing, creating, and operating Sunny Knoll EcoFarm. She especially enjoys the challenge of combining practical agricultural experience with knowledge of ecology to create a farm that is a sustainable agricultural ecosystem, in which the animals and plants complement each other to produce healthy and delicious food.