Finger Lakes Farms: Dairy is tradition for father and son

Emery View Farms in Newfield is a microcosm of the struggle dairy farmers across the Finger Lakes are involved in to stay in business and also a proud testament to the indomitable spirit of farmers united in the struggle.

Ronald Emery, 71, and his son, Frank, 44, are in Ronald's words, “doing all they can just to keep their heads above water.” They milk 42 cows on a third-generation family farm that Ronald's dad bought in 1941.Standing outside the milk house, as Frank is busy within sterilizing equipment before milking time, Ronald reflects on a career spent on and off the farm.
“I drove school bus for 43 years, delivered mail for 40 years and farmed it all at the same time just to make certain the bills were paid on time and I would be able to keep the farm in the family and pass it on to Frank,” he said.

One look at Ronald and you can see it hasn't been easy for him.

Sleep-starved from getting up every morning at 4, rail-thin from constantly being on the move working, two fingers are missing from his right hand after a farm accident, yet his eyes are clear and burn with intensity, and his body is taut and wiry like a steel cable.

“When I was younger, in the spring I would stay up all night plowing and then do the morning chores, catch a nap and keep right on going,” he said.

Frank emerges from the milk house and pets a purring barn cat pushing against his leg. A graduate of Newfield High School, soft-spoken and shy with a full beard that makes him look older than his 44 years, he also has experienced the dangers of farm life including a high fall from a silo and a chainsaw mishap that left deep scars. But like his resilient dad, he soldiers on with no second thoughts, completely dedicated to his chosen way of life.

From the barn door, Ronald points out a Holstein calf that takes a few wobbly steps before falling down.

“The part of her brain that helps her maintain equilibrium doesn't work,” he explained. “Pete White, our veterinarian, said he hadn't come across anything like that for a long time. He thought it was pretty unusual.”

Sadly, according to Ronald, the calf will not figure in the farm's long-range plans. In contrast, there is Edna, a healthy, robust first-calf heifer, the progeny of a bull noted for siring high milk-producing heifers. Edna is expected to make a significant contribution to the farm's rolling herd average of 27,000 pounds.

“That's what makes farming so interesting for me,” Ronald said.

“Nothing's static, everything is always changing in regards to the animals, the weather, crops. Each day you wake up to a brand-new scenario and have to be ready to deal with it. It's not always pretty or easy, but that's farm life.”

Glancing at his wristwatch, he heads into the barn to begin the evening milking with Frank. I ask him if he's looking forward to the day he can retire. He stops, turns back and says with a laugh, “Retirement? That word doesn't exist for me. No sir! I enjoy farming too much. I imagine the day I'm not farming anymore, that will be the day I'm no longer walking this good earth.”



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