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Opinion: Dairy article provided great insight into farming, says Madrid man

Posted 12/11/18

In response to “Decline of the Small Dairy” which ran in the Nov. 21-27 issue of North Country This Week: Thanks to Jimmy Lawton and "North Country This Week" for taking the time and effort to …

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Opinion: Dairy article provided great insight into farming, says Madrid man

Posted

In response to “Decline of the Small Dairy” which ran in the Nov. 21-27 issue of North Country This Week: Thanks to Jimmy Lawton and "North Country This Week" for taking the time and effort to write and publish an article about New York State's dairy farmers and the current economic situation.

I hope many have read the article and that it has provided some insight into what your neighboring family farm is experiencing. The article was excellent. Many of our neighbors still don't understand our industry because most of our population are now two to three generations removed from the farm.

This lack of agricultural literacy by the general public, much of the media and by many of our neighbors has created new challenges for the family farm. It used to be that we just farmed, went about our daily business, worked the long hours needed to provide for our animals, cared for our land and provided for our families.

This has changed as we now need to educate and communicate with our neighbors, the public and the media about what we are doing. We are willing to do this. Through our local St. Lawrence County Farm Bureau and dairy industry partners, we have been sponsoring a "Day on the Farm" for several years now where the public has been invited to a local farm located within the county.

It has been very successful with attendances as high as 1,200 people. The guides are us, local farmers, who answer questions and provide explanations.

We have local agricultural and industry experts at several educational stations to explain cow comfort, cow nutrition, veterinary care and the smelly one...manure management, which truly is recycling at its finest. It is the best fertilizer and most natural for our crops.

Now, I know that's not what you’re thinking when you are outside having a barbecue when the neighboring family farm is preparing a field for a new crop of corn or hay.

Be assured that it is safe, natural and applied in a manner that complies with soil sampling, crop history, soil fertility, based on a plan by a mandatory and expensive certified crop planner and highly regulated with oversight by the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC). Large family farms are inspected every year and medium size farms are inspected every three years by the DEC.

As you may have noticed, I keep referring to our dairy farms, no matter how big or small, as family farms. All the farms in St. Lawrence county and over ninety eight percent of the dairy farms across America are owned and operated by families who work them every day, who feed their cows before they eat, whose cows sleep before we sleep, where the care is 24/7, day after day, year after year.

Don't be afraid to introduce yourself to your farm neighbor, ask questions and get to know one another.

We're a friendly bunch in general. Maybe the next time your planning a ‘re event, barbecue, outdoor wedding or party, we could delay for a day our "recycling" activity...of course, you may be invited over for some hay bale tossing in exchange.

Kevin Acres

Madrid