What's it like to run a dairy farm?
At our Sept 25, 2013 meeting, our guest speakers Benjamin Crooke and his wife Natalie answered this and much more. Ben is a third generation dairy farmer who talked about his families modern dairy operation. Ben, along with his father and grandfather, farm on 200 acres with about 60 milking stock and 200 total animals.
Their farm is named The Crooked Acres Dairy in reference to both their last name and their use of contoured strips to reduce crop erosion; their fields look crooked. The farm has been in the family for 50 years and Ben can trace its ownership back to a William Penn grant. The farm was the first in Bucks County to be preserved with a conservation easement. Ben's grandfather, Leonard, received the Rotary Four Way Test award a few years ago for his land preservation efforts in Bucks County.
Ben provided insight into all the operations of a working farm. In addition to cows and crops, they also harvest timber on their wood lots. His three rules for caring for livestock and running the dairy are clean, clean, and clean. They ensure all the livestock have a balanced diet based on each cows life stage to keep them healthy and productive (the cows eat a more balanced diet than you & I). They get a pedicure twice per year (hoofs are trimmed) which keeps them healthy and pain free. Milk is sold to their Land O' Lakes Coop, most of their milk goes to cheese production. In addition to the care of their herd, Ben discussed the various aspects of raising a wide variety of crops to provide a varied diet for their herd while ensuring the most ecological use of the land. He noted that they almost never use pesticides, preferring to use natural pest controls.
We had a great time listening to Ben and learning about their dairy farm.