Sharing the Knowledge
William E. Duckery, NRCS district conservationist in Dutchess County, NY, says
the Coon Brothers Farm can be considered pioneers for the way they embrace
changes in farming technologies. “They have demonstrated their ability
to make decisions that keep their farm financially viable and will benefit
the next generation of farmers,” he says.
The Coons have long shared those benefits with their neighbors. Involved with
the Dutchess County Soil and Water Office, Cornell Cooperative Extension Dutchess
County and the Farm Service Agency on a regular basis, the Coon family puts
its knowledge and information to work for the community.
“They work well with the entire agricultural community and are well
respected for their farming practices as well as their working knowledge of
our local agricultural industry,” says Jennifer Fimbel, Cornell Cooperative
Extension Educator in Dutchess County.
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For nearly 50 years, the Coon Brothers Farm has been known for its conservation stewardship. Located in the northeastern rolling hills of Dutchess County, New York, almost exactly halfway between New York City and Albany, the Coon Brothers Farm is named Conservation Technology Information Center’s next Champion of Conservation.
“Champions of Conservation - truer words have never been stated,” says
Jennifer Fimbel, Cornell Cooperative Extension educator in Dutchess County. “The
Coon Family set the conservation stewardship standards in Dutchess County and
could very well set the standards for the country.”
In the Beginning
Dirk and Garrison Coon began their farming careers in October 1953, when they
formed Coon Brothers Farm. They pooled their resources and bought 300 acres
of rolling land equipped with a barn. With this purchase, they joined nearly
300 other dairymen in Dutchess County and 50,000 dairy producers in New York
State. At the time, they milked 35 Guernsey cows.
Today, the Coon Brothers Farm milks more than 350 Holstein and Guernsey cows,
and house 300 replacement heifers. And of the 2,000 acres of land they manage,
1,800 are cropped with alfalfa hay for feeding their cattle and supplying the
horse market, as well as corn, soybeans and rye for grain.
As their cow herd grew, the brothers built up their land base. With this growth
came the added responsibility of improving the productivity and land efficiency.
In 1961, Garrison Coon signed an agreement with the Dutchess County Soil and
Water Conservation District stating his interest in conserving the soil on
the farm. “The Coons realized that good soil stewardship made good farming
sense, and that it would carry the farm well into the future,” says Ed
Hoxsie, executive director of the Dutchess County Soil and Water Conservation
District.
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The Coon Brothers’ dairy herd is a good neighbor – and an attractive tenant – thanks to the family’s conservation ethic.
Photo courtesy NACD |
Dealing with Conservation Issues
Initially, the Coon Brothers Farm’s biggest concern was keeping the
soil in place on the highly erodible land. So in 1962, 242 acres were converted
to contoured strips, which saved an estimated 12 tons of soil per acre. That
same year, in order to alleviate erosion on one field, a 1,200 foot diversion
ditch was built; in another field, 900 feet of tile drainage was installed.
The dairying side of the business wasn’t suffering, despite the attention
being paid to the conservation end. “By 1963, the Coon Brothers were
making the honor roll list of the Dairy Herd Improvement Association, Inc.,” says
Hoxsie.
In 1977, the Coon Brothers Farm was the first farm in the county to receive
the Conservation Farm of the Year award, sponsored by the District. By 1985,
the Coon Brothers Farm had enrolled in the U.S. Department of Agriculture Long
Term Agreement, where all the highly erodible land was identified and a conservation
farming plan was developed. The plan included maintenance of the more than
12,000 feet of diversion ditches.
Since 1996, the farm has been working with the District on a pilot project
for New York State’s Agricultural Environmental Management program. The
focus of the project is a Comprehensive Nutrient Management Plan that encompasses
the whole farm and addresses its impact on water quality and other natural
resources. “It is just second nature to me because of how I was brought
up,” says David Coon, Dick Coon’s son, who today runs the farm
with his brother, Peter.
The emphasis on good nutrient management practices put the Coons ahead of
the restrictions placed on Confined Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs) in 1999. “They
were the first farm in the county to focus on nutrient management with a manure
spreading schedule by field risk level,” says Hoxsie.
From an assessment of the operation, the Coon Brothers Farm discovered the
potential to run out of accessible winter spreading ground. As a result, they
built a manure storage facility and purchased a tank with flotation tires that
allow them to spread the manure more efficiently.
Maintaining the Edge
Today there are only 38 dairymen in Dutchess County. “For those remaining
dairy farmers, garnering the rights to farm the rapidly expanding urban area
is always a performance evaluation,” says Hoxsie. “And the Coon
Brothers Farm has proven that they are good tenants of the land they farm.”
Of the 2,100 acres they farm, 1,900 are owned by 20 different individuals.
These owners actively protect 1,100 acres from development with the purchase
of development rights by the local Land Conservancy and easements held by government
agencies. “By using sustainable farming on the land, the Coon Brothers
Farm is providing landowners with a tax break not otherwise afforded to the
property,” says Hoxsie.
Wherever they farm, the Coon Brothers Farm uses a no-till cropping system,
cover crops, crop rotations, soil testing, nutrient management, waste management,
waste storage, barnyard run-off and clean water abatement plan, and milk house
waste design. The result, says Fimbel, is an operation that not only does a
good job of implementing its BMPs, but exceeds expectations.
That pays off economically and environmentally. “We continually get
high yielding crops by making sure that things are just right,” says
David Coon. “And with high yielding crops, there’s less erosion
because there’s more mass to stop the erosion.”
Coon says word of mouth brought landowners to them to farm their ground. “They
say they want us to farm their land because we are professional farmers,” he
jokes. “What we do is treat the land as if it were our own.”
