By Katie Spring, Communications Manager
In September, the NE-DBIC team hit the road to visit grantees in New York.
New York is the largest milk producer in our 11-state Northeast region, and NE-DBIC has awarded over 65 grants to dairy farmers and processors across the Empire State. Over three days, we visited a range of dairy farmers and processors, representing five of our grant programs.
Meadowood Farms Sheep Dairy – Cazenovia, NY
Meadowood Farms, managed by Bee Tolman and Quincy Parker, milks 120 ewes with a focus on improving genetics and nutrition for fall lambing. In 2020, Meadowood shifted to fall lambing to supply fresh milk to a yogurt producer throughout the winter months, when most flocks are dry.
These ewes enjoy fresh pasture daily, plus a nice breezy barn for mid-day shade on hot days.
Meadowood was selected for a Sector Enhancement award in our latest round of the Goat & Sheep Dairy Development Grant. With a goal to increase the volume of fall-produced sheep milk available to a major Northeast processor, this funding will support nutritional veterinary consulting, increase storage capacity for synchronized fall milk production, and improve milk transportation.
Bee Tolman also serves on the board of directors for DSANA – the Dairy Sheep Association of North America. Dairy shepherds can access a library of information on sheep dairying from the DSANA website and at the annual DSANA Symposium.
Pastureland Dairy – Manlius, NY
Pastureland Dairy is a pasture-based 400 cow organic dairy. Run by a father and son team, this third-generation farm, certified organic in 2007, currently ships to Upstate Niagara. As members of one of our Dairy Cohorts, they received technical assistance to improve heifer management. Through the cohort, they identified that one of the most time consuming and labor-intensive areas was the process of cleaning and spreading their pack manure.
This led to them applying for and receiving the Dairy Farm Innovation & Alternative Management grant for a vertical manure spreader to better incorporate bedded pack onto their fields. The new spreader has been a game-changer for the farm, allowing them to increase efficiencies in bedded pack management and improve their pastures.
The Dairy Innovation & Alternative Management Grant has been updated and is now the Dairy Farm Improvement & Modernization Grant. It is expected to reopen in January 2025.
Crosswinds Farm & Creamery – Rock Stream, NY
Crosswinds Farm & Creamery raises Brown Swiss cows on pasture, bottles milk, makes cheese and gelato. Recipients of our Dairy Farm Innovation & Alternative Management Grant, owner Sarah VanOrden Morrow purchased the Smaxtec rumen bolus system to monitor cow health and reproduction. After installing the system, Sarah learned there isn’t much data for grass-fed herds.
“As a 100% grassfed herd, grazing as much as possible, rumination data provided by the system has been eye opening for us,” she said. Most data come from non-grazing herds, and during the 2023 grazing system, Crosswinds observed comparatively wide daily variation in rumination, with a majority of the herd regularly falling below the “normal” lower rumination boundary. With this information, Sarah said she altered their grazing strategy, including continuing to feed a percentage of the diet as dry hay.
“We have succeeded in preventing a majority of the low rumination fluctuations. This is helping to maintain milk production and components, as well as body condition and overall cow health,” she reported.
As they continue to dial in their rumination and heat tracking data, Crosswinds is also completing a Marketing & Branding Services Grant. Keep an eye out for their new branding soon!
Seen Nutrition – Ithaca, NY
Seen Nutrition received a Dairy Product Tradeshow Assistance Grant to exhibit their dairy-based calcium chews at the Good Food Mercantile San Francisco and the National Community Pharmacy Association Annual Convention and Expo. This innovative product is made with milk components from nearby Cayuga Milk Ingredients.
Seen’s goal is to disrupt the current calcium supplement market by centering milk as a key ingredient. By focusing on the health benefits of dairy, they’re highlighting the importance of milk for long-term nutrition.
The Dairy Tradeshow Assistance Grant is open on a rolling basis through November 28, 2024.
Marshfield Farms – Marcellus, NY
Marshfield Farms is a fourth-generation dairy run by Amanda Marshfield along with her father and uncle. A family-run farm, the three of them milk 160 cows and ship to Preble Milk Cooperative. As recipients of the On-Farm Milk Storage & Handling Grant, they’re installing a new 4,000-gallon bulk milk storage tank.
This grant gave them the funds needed to add a larger tank and necessary compressors to replace a 1,350-gallon storage tank and switch to every-other-day milk pickup. After dealing with overflows in the smaller tank, this expanded capacity will lower their hauling fees, reduce milk loss, and increase energy efficiency while improving milk cooling.
This grant program is one of NE-DBIC’s most popular for the impact it can have on day-to-day operations. It is expected to open again this October 2024. To learn more about our grants and timeline, visit our Funding Calendar.
