D A I R Y I N G A L I T T L E D I F F E R E N T LY :
Big Brook Farm
Andrew was just 16 when this venture began. At the time, Garrie was a stay-at-home mother, but that soon changed. “What else do you do when your youngest wants to start a farm? You jump in with him!” she said with a giggle. By Sarah Thomas About an hour north of Syracuse, nestled in Lee Center, N.Y., you can find Andrew Smith and his mother, Garrie, operating Big Brook Farm. Named after the Big Brook stream that runs through the Smiths’ property in Oneida County, the farm itself is far from ordinary. From starting the dairy as a high-schooler, Andrew, and Garrie, have also differentiated themselves through raw milk sales. On his eighth birthday, he was gifted a Brown Swiss calf from his grandfather Joe. “It was all over after that,” he chuckled; that was the spark that ignited his love for the dairy cow. A few years later, at age 12, the school bus would
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drop Andrew off at a neighboring farm to milk cows; however, he could not shake the feeling of wanting his own farm. “I wanted my cows to be my boss.” On July 4, 2014, he and Mom made a trip to the five farms where he had his 10 milking cows housed and took them to their new barn that his father, Dan, owned 12 miles from their home. Andrew was just 16 when this venture began. At the time, Garrie was a stay-at-home mother, but that soon changed. “What else do you do when your youngest wants to start a farm? You jump in with him!” she said with a giggle. “There aren’t many 16-year-old boys that start their own farm. He was still in high school and would
New York Holstein News July/August 2022
