VIDEO: Activists Disrupt Clover Ice Cream Truck at Petaluma Fair to Highlight Cruelty at Clover-Linked Calf Ranch
For immediate release
Contact: Cassie King, (510) 507-8075, cassie@directactioneverywhere.com
VIDEO: Activists Disrupt Clover Ice Cream Truck at Petaluma Fair to Highlight Cruelty at Clover-Linked Calf Ranch
A DxE drone investigation released in May shows calves kicked in the face, yanked by their tails, and disbudded with hot irons at Agresti Calf Ranch in Stanislaus County. The facility is owned by the Agresti-Assali family which also owns the adjacent Clover Sonoma milk supplier Double D Dairies. DxE investigators witnessed calves from Double D Dairies being transported to Agresti Calf Ranch.
Video from the Investigation
(Credit: Direct Action Everywhere)
June 22, 2026, Petaluma, CA - Animal rights activists with Direct Action Everywhere (DxE) disrupted the Clover Sonoma ice cream truck at the Petaluma Fair on Sunday afternoon, to spread awareness about animal cruelty linked to Clover. A DxE investigation published in May showed illegal animal cruelty at Agresti Calf Ranch in Stanislaus County, which raises calves born at Double D Dairies, a supplier of milk to Clover Sonoma.
The investigation documented calves being kicked in the face, yanked by their tails, and disbudded with hot irons until they collapsed in pain. Disbudding is the process of removing horn-producing tissues in young calves. Industry guidelines dictate that anesthetics must be used during this painful procedure, but over the course of an hour of near-continuous drone documentation of disbudding at Agresti, no workers were seen giving anesthetics to the calves before they were disbudded. Industry expert Temple Grandin reviewed the footage and said the calves’ reaction indicates pain medication was not applied before the procedure.
As Clover distributed free samples of its new ice cream to fairgoers, DxE activists stood in front of the ice cream truck with signs and banners reading "Real California Cruelty," in the style of the "Real California Dairy" logo seen on many Clover dairy products and other dairy products produced in California. They spoke out loudly about the cruelty documented at Agresti Calf Ranch and more broadly how every Clover farm separates newborn calves from their mothers.
According to DxE investigators and attorneys, the footage at Agresti depicts conduct that violates California’s animal cruelty statute. A DxE attorney reported these violations to the Stanislaus County District Attorney, Sheriff, and Animal Services. The District Attorney and Sheriff did not respond to the complaint. Animal Services said, “We have coordinated with [the] appropriate organization to monitor what is happening at the location you provided," but it has shared no plans for any enforcement actions against the company, despite follow-up requests for any updates.
Calf ranches raise the newborn calves who are born as a byproduct of impregnating female cows to keep them producing milk. Agresti Calf Ranch raises the calves born from mother cows at Double D Dairies. Double D Dairies supplies 10-15% of Clover Sonoma’s milk. Since the investigation was released, Clover has tried to distance itself from Agresti, saying the calves at Agresti have not produced Clover milk, but this is a misdirection. Agresti opened a year ago and the calves are still too young to have produced milk yet. They must be impregnated first and give birth. But Clover is the reason these newborn calves are separated from their mothers and sent to live in confinement at Agresti. DxE investigators observed calves being transported from Double D Dairies to Agresti Calf Ranch, which is just down the road. Both Agresti Calf Ranch and Double D Dairies are owned and operated by the Agresti-Assali family, including Dominic Agresti-Assali, who is featured prominently on Clover’s website. In response to inquiries from the LA Times, Clover said it had suspended Double D Dairies after becoming aware of the documented abuse, but the suspension was temporary and Clover has already reinstated Double D. Clover Sonoma markets its products as humane-certified, but DxE’s findings call into question how Clover actually vets its producers.
The California dairy industry is incredibly powerful, as the state’s largest agricultural sector, contributing over $23 billion to the state GDP annually. The California Department of Food and Agriculture has multiple boards dedicated to boosting dairy consumption and shaping public perception of dairy. They have worked with the industry to run multi-million-dollar marketing programs, such as California’s iconic ‘Got Milk?’ campaign and “Happy Cows Come from California.” This state-backed marketing misleads consumers with bucolic imagery of “family-run farms,” while DxE investigations are uncovering the reality of widespread cruelty behind California milk.
"Clover is lying to people that their milk comes from happy cows,” said Madhu Anderson, a DxE activist who participated in the protest. “Documented evidence from DxE’s investigation shows Clover’s milk supply chain is linked to horrific cruelty.”
Direct Action Everywhere (DxE) investigates farms, slaughterhouses, and other facilities to document abuses and rescue sick and injured animals. DxE’s investigatory work has been featured in The New York Times, WIRED, and Vox. In 2022, DxE activists won the first-ever acquittal in an open rescue case. Visit DxE on Instagram, Facebook, X, Bluesky, and at directactioneverywhere.com.
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