Dairying A Little Differently: Big Brook Farm Research Results in Continued Progress for Registered

DAIRYING A LITTLE DIFFERENTLY: 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 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

After getting the farm going and buying more cows, Andrew and Garrie kept receiving comments on how clean their farm was. This ignited the raw milk sales conversation. The duo visited other farms that sold the product and were inspired.

drive 12 miles to the farm in the morning, do chores with me, drive 25 miles to school, drive back to the farm, do chores and drive back home that first year.”

At the inception of the farm, the Smiths constructed a new milkhouse - it was a clean start, and that would soon be noticed. After getting the farm going and buying more cows, Andrew and Garrie kept receiving comments on how clean their farm was (and still is). This ignited the raw milk sales conversation. The duo visited other farms that sold the product and were inspired.

“We decided to give it a try,” explained Andrew. “We didn’t know where it would go.”

The family consider themselves lucky because their cooperative allows them to have raw milk sales in addition to what the milk truck picks up. What started out as 20 gallons of raw milk per week quickly bumped to 50. “We thought that was a good number,” said Garrie. “Then our next goal was 100 and, before we knew it, we’re now selling 150 gallons a week with milk from our 40 Holsteins and Brown Swiss.”

When asked about their success, she added, “Location is key.” The farm is only a mile outside the city of Rome, so that has been a vital part of their progress.

“In New York, you can’t ship raw milk or take it to a grocery store or farmers’ market,” Andrew said. “People have to come to the farm to purchase it.” The Smiths hang flyers in local stores, advertise on placemats in restaurants and have a Facebook page for the farm, but he and his mother really credit their growth to happy customers and word of mouth.

The self-serve store houses not only raw milk but other products including beef, pork and maple syrup - all produced by the Smith family. There are also products from neighbors such as butter, yogurt, honey, eggs, goat-milk soap and even cow-milk soap (using milk from Big Brook).

The biggest challenge is ensuring that there are enough gallons of raw milk in the store because it can only be kept in the fridge for 24 hours. “You have to make sure it’s there. We could have a slew of people come through and then if there’s not milk, you feel bad because someone made a special trip out,” noted Garrie.

Everyone has a “why.” For Andrew, it is his love for farming. “You’ve got to love what you do to be a farmer,” he proudly said.

Garrie would constantly ask when he was younger if this was really what he wanted to do, and reminded him his friends would have a nice 9-to-5 job with weekends off and extra spending money. He always responded with: “What else would I do?”

For the Smiths, it is about being able to have a smaller farm and make it profitable. “If you have the passion and drive, you can make it happen,” said Garrie.

The family likes growing their herd from within. This means breeding for shorter cows because the tiestall barn has smaller stalls. Andrew also focuses on milk production, feet and legs and correctness of udder. “That’s our kind of cow,” he explained.

For the future, Andrew and Garrie hope to grow both their raw milk sales and the crop side of the farm. For now, they are simply pleased to just be doing something different.

The self-serve store houses not only raw milk but other products including beef, pork and maple syrup - all produced by the Smith family. There are also products from neighbors such as butter, yogurt, honey, eggs, goat-milk soap and even cow-milk soap (using milk from Big Brook).