This past Sunday Zoe’s staff took a tour of Coon Brothers Farm in Amenia, NY. Coon Brothers are one of the ten farmer-owners of Hudson Valley Fresh. Led by Amos Coon, a third-generation dairy farmer, the Zoe’s team was introduced to the very cows that produce the dairy products to make our ice cream and learned about what it entails to be a farmer with Hudson Valley Fresh.
Milking an average of 350 Guernsey & Holsteins daily we learned the day starts at 3:30 in the morning. Holstein cows (the cute black and white ones) are a higher producing cow, some giving 100 pounds of milk a day! The cows wear collars that act like an EZ-pass system that is scanned when they walk into the milking parlor, the collar tracks their steps and the farmers use this technology to help manage the herd.
Baby cows! A hit of the tour! I mean look at those faces. Calves are born almost daily at the farm.
On average a cow can eat 100 pounds of feed. Coon Brothers produce all their own feed for the farm growing it in the fields that surround the barns. Talk about quality control.
Before the farm visit, many of my staff knew very little about cows. It was my goal to educate and be transparent with them, so they can pass that knowledge onto our customers.
Thank you to Amos and his family and everyone at Coon Brothers for opening up your farm for us!
