Milk and So Much More Shake it up with ice cream treats at Moo Thru
radio frequency sensor that monitors the animal’s health and milk production. The “milking parlor” is automated with equipment that milks the cows, and the barns are cooled by a computerized system of fans, misting equipment and automatic shades that keep the inside temperature at least 10 degrees cooler than the outside on hot days.
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By Kevin Ramundo
en Smith is a fourth-generation dairy farmer who loves his business and the land.
He and his son, Ben, operate the largest dairy farm in Fauquier County. When Ken took over the Cool Lawn Farm from his father in 1981, it was home to 120 cattle on 270 acres. Today, the farm boasts 1,250 acres and 2,000 cattle and the source of some of the finest ice cream around.
Photo by Susan Russell
Fourth generation dairy farmer Ken Smith
Success in the dairy business doesn’t come easily. When Ken got started, there were 2,700 dairy farms in Virginia, and now there are less than 450. In this business, automation and technology play a large role in reducing costs, creating an environmentally sensitive operation and keeping cows highly productive and healthy. Each of Ken’s cows has a
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Ken cares deeply about open land preservation and helping the next generation of dairy farmers. More than 75 percent of his land is in permanent conservation easement, and he was first in line when Fauquier County established its Purchase of Development Rights (PDR) program. He mentors young dairy farmers on how to be successful, constantly preaching the importance of growth because economies of scale matter so much.
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One of the reasons Ken has been so successful is because he is an avid learner. He knows that, “You can’t recreate the past, but must adapt to the present and look to the future.” One way he learns is through his service on boards including the Dairy Alliance, the Maryland Virginia Milk Producers’ Cooperative, the Farm Credit Bureau, and the Agricultural and Forestry Board of Fauquier County.
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Go Green Middleburg | Fall 2021