The West Marin Lions Club celebrated a milestone weekend as Bob Giacomini, respected dairy farmer and agricultural innovator, served as Grand Marshal of the 48th Annual Western Weekend Parade on Saturday, June 8th.
At 87 years old, Giacomini represented the very best of West Marin's agricultural heritage. A member of one of the region’s most storied farming families, his selection was particularly fitting for this year’s celebration, which honored West Marin’s thriving farm-to-table community.
In 2000, Giacomini’s daughters founded Point Reyes Farmstead Cheese Company, transforming the family’s dairy into one of the nation’s premier artisan cheesemaking operations. This year, the company proudly celebrates its 25th anniversary of cheesemaking, marking a quarter-century of producing award-winning cheeses from the family’s own herd of Holsteins.
Beyond business success, Giacomini has been a leader in sustainable farming and community stewardship. He was among the first West Marin dairymen to install a methane digester, which now provides half the energy used on the family’s 700-acre property. He also played a crucial role in resolving water quality issues in Tomales Bay, helping forge collaborative agreements between dairy operators and oyster growers.
Throughout his career, Giacomini has received numerous honors, including being named United States Dairyman of the Year by the World Dairy Expo in 1997. He has been instrumental in founding and supporting key agricultural organizations such as Western United Dairymen and the Marin Agricultural Land Trust. Today, he remains an active voice in the farming community and continues to embody the entrepreneurial spirit and deep commitment to land stewardship that have defined his remarkable career.
The Western Weekend Parade took place on Saturday, June 8th, as part of a larger weekend celebration that continued the Lions Club’s longstanding tradition of honoring the agricultural roots that make West Marin so unique.
