more than a business – the family farm is a lifestyle – it is an ideal worth preserving

Our goals are to produce the highest standard of milk quality in an environmentally and cow friendly manner, while building a strong employee/team setting and creating a positive image in our community.

Wholesome Milk
Comfy Cows
Rotary Milking parlor

Lamb Farms focuses on three key areas for the success of our business:
Wholesome Milk ~ Comfy Cows ~ Sustainable Farming

Wholesome Milk

Wholesome Milk

We are committed to producing the highest quality milk possible. We know that milk is a nutrient powerhouse and is a key part of a healthy diet. Production of quality milk on the farm starts with:

  • Clean, healthy cows
  • Well-trained milking staff
  • Properly functioning milking equipment

Through top notch management our farm is proud to receive awards for milk quality from our cooperative, Upstate Farms.

Comfy Cows

Comfy Cows
Cow care is a top priority for us every day. Below are the key needs of the cows that we focus on:

  • Feed & Water
    • A milking cow eats over 100 lbs of food a day and drinks more than a bathtub full of water! We work with a dairy nutritionist to create a perfect diet to meet the needs of our cows. Fresh feed and water is available to the cows 24/7 to keep them healthy and happy.

Cows Laying Down

  • Rest time
    • Cows rest 12-14 hours per day, so our barns are designed with comfortable stalls for the cows to lie down. They are bedded with sand or bedding solids so that the cow’s stall is dry and comfortable.

Sprinklers

  • Seasonal needs
    • Winter: The cows are quite comfortable in our barns, out of the wind and snow during the winter months. We adjust their diets to meet the additional calorie needs, but otherwise they are well-suited for western NY winters.
    • Summer is more challenging for a dairy cow. Once temperatures rise above 70 degrees, she will start to feel heat stress. Fans in the barns keep the air moving to keep them cool. We also use sprinklers in the holding area and in some of the barns to provide additional cooling.

Vet / Herdsman

  • Herd Health
    • Veterinary care: We work with dairy veterinarians to provide top notch care to our cows. Routine visits from the vet will cover everything from ultra sounding for pregnancy, reviewing herd health protocols, caring for a sick animal, discussing new advances in cow care and more.
    • The farm herd managers provide daily care for the cows. They are well-trained to keep the herd healthy and to identify animals that need special care.

Sustainable Farming

Manure spreading

Farmers are caretakers of their animals and the land. We care about implementing sound environmental practices that will allow future generations the same opportunities that we have had. Here’s how:

Dairy farming is a natural way of recycling nutrients to produce a delicious product. The cows make manure; which we use to fertilize the crops that we grow to feed the cows. We work with a certified environmental planner to ensure that this is done in an environmentally responsible manner.

  • Green Energy!
    • We have a methane digester at the Home Farm and Lakeshore dairy. This is an amazing technology that turns cow manure into electricity to power our farms.
  • Reducing soil erosion
    • Our farm is continuously improving our tillage and crop rotation practices in order to reduce soil erosion and eliminate nutrient runoff. One example is the use of a zone builder, which (through GPS technology) only tills the soil exactly where the seed of corn will be planted.