a dairy farm, a family venture and a piece of history Once, near the middle of the 1800s, New York State had more small farms than anywhere in the country. Today, the state's surviving 38,000 farm families are a tribute to the gains of science, technology and homegrown economic success. Belonging to an exclusive club of just 36 other farm families in New York State is the 1,100-acre Colby Homestead Farms of Ogden which is celebrating its 200th year of farming this year: 1802-2002. "The Colbys are a great asset to the community. They have contributed to the community in so many ways," said Gay Lenhard, supervisor of the Town of Ogden, who signed a proclamation last month designating August 17 as 'The Colby Homestead Farms Day.' "In these times when other communities are trying to buy up open space, Ogden is fortunate to have the Colby Farm - not only for its agricultural business, but as landscape to look at. It provides open spaces and the beauty of farmland that is non-existent in neighboring communities. In addition to providing both food and dairy products, the farm creates an aesthetic value for which I'm personally very grateful." Ogden, not to mention Monroe County and the state, are justifiably proud in honoring the Colby Family - for their enduring commitment to an amazing record of profitability, environmentally-sound farming, the preservation of farmland in the midst of suburban development, and their ineffable character of stubbornness, luck, and knowledge which has brought them through 200 years of agriculture.
If you've ever grabbed a five-pound bag of potatoes with the Colby red-barn and green-tree label, you're on the receiving end of just one of the Colby Farm's products. A founding member of the Upstate Farms Cooperative, one of the state's top milk co-ops, Colby Farms dairy produces upwards of 1,800 gallons of milk each day. Its cabbages are sold year round from New York to the Carolinas and are a tasty part of the Chinese egg rolls we love. Its wheat (for flour), sweet corn and peas also end up on our tables. "Gross sales are close to a million dollars a year," Robert Colby and father, James, concur. "Half is in milk sales and half is in potatoes and cabbage." With 15 year-round employees including three who have been with the farm for 15 years - Bob Hill, field cropsman; Kathy Goodman, herdswoman; and Aaron Bush, feed manager - Colby Farms sits unassuming on the south side of Colby Street. But history is the confirming test of this family farm. "Four Colby brothers set out in February 1802 from New Hampshire for western New York," James said. "They had to get to the Genesee River with their oxen-drawn sleighs before the ice broke. They each bought 100 acres from the Wadsworth Land Company in Canandaigua for two dollars an acre. The original log cabin was on the north side of the road across from the swamp pond. There were no wells, so they needed water." The Colbys can trace their heritage to 1630 in New England. They represent the seventh generation of farmers here in Ogden and look back in fondness and admiration to the farming pioneer, Abraham Colby (1779-1861), who was also the first Ogden Town Clerk in 1817. Each succeeding generation has made its mark on the land. From Oscar P. (1841-1910), a Civil War veteran who served in the 140th N.Y. Volunteer Infantry, to J. Merton (1896-1984) under whose tenure electricity revolutionized the milk and egg business.
pieces of farm equipment -- the cell phone Son of Merton Colby, 75-year-old Jim Colby, known hereabouts as a retired member of the Monroe County Legislature as well as the Ogden Town Board, sits talking fondly of the farm's many changes with his son, Robert J. Colby, in an office just off the cabbage barn. "In the 1920s we had tractors with steel wheels," Jim said. "We kept a team of horses up through the 40s which was used to sell milk and eggs door-to-door through the Depression." When Robert's cell phone interrupts the conversation, Jim shoots back, "Things have changed, that's for sure, but I think people were just as happy without all the modern conveniences ... cell phones are one of the most important pieces of farm equipment!" Robert takes the call which links him to the field being irrigated, the delivery of a newborn calf in the dairy barn, and with the herdswomen who milk 220 cows three times a day. "We've got 220 cows milking, 30 dry cows waiting to calve and 210 young stock," Robert says. With his wife, Sharon, and herdswoman Kathy Goodman, the operation begins at 4 a.m. and ends at 10 p.m. everyday, seven days a week, year round. "Somedays you're trying to plan ahead, other days, putting out fires ... . The technology in agriculture is just going to keep expanding: everything from crop protection, seed selection and variety development, spliced-gene seeds and micro-nutrients," Robert said. "We work with several consultants - a soil scientist, an agronomist and an expert in feed rations." Both Jim and Robert studied agriculture in college. Jim graduated in 1950 from Cornell with a degree in Agricultural Economics; Robert and brother Chuck at SUNY Alfred; daughter Jean at Cornell. Robert's daughter, Sarah, just started her freshman year at Cornell. But staying ahead of the game takes a lot of farm experience. Their large-animal veterinarians are from Oakfield and Perry. Their hoof-trimmer is also from Perry. It's not unusual for Robert to compare notes with other farmers across the internet and through e-mail, but what does he love the most? - "troubleshooting mechanics!"
As Robert approaches the dairy barn, about 50 black and white Holstein heads turn in his direction. A walk through the free-stall dairy barn reveals the entire herd well-spaced along the 500-foot long, airy barn. It's 3:30 p.m., so they're not getting milked again for another four and a half hours. "Sixteen cows get milked at a time," he says. And the milking parlor, framed in timbers felled 150 years ago, is a technical wonder. Ankle-bracelets on the cows trigger computers to read each cow's number so that its statistics can be tracked. Dairy cows are only milked from four to 10 years and begin milking at about age two. Robert asserts that the 'Colby Cow' has better genetics. Colby milk just may be 'superior' as this year the Upstate Farm Cooperative tied for first place in a milk quality contest at Cornell based on butterfat content, post-pasteurization bacteria count, vitamin levels, flavor, scent and shelf life. The Colby cow does seem contented. They roam about freely in the barn and are turned out to pasture, according to Robert. But the future is even more unbelieveable: robotic milking parlors. "The 'modern agricultural dairy' is moving toward robotics," he said. "It's possible that we may be installing a working robotic dairy in Ogden, at the Northampton Farm, a Monroe County Park on Colby Road, for the public to see." Number 26 in dollar value in the nation "Parts of Genesee, Wyoming, Livingston, southern Monroe and half of Erie County are in the 27th Congressional District of Tom Reyonlds (R-East Amherst)," Robert said, "and his district ranks 26th in the nation in dollar value of agriculture." The Colbys count Representative Reynolds as a friend of agriculture along with Ogden Supervisor Lenhard, Monroe County Legislature President Dennis Pelletier, N.Y.S. Senator George Maziarz and N.Y.S. Commissioner of Agriculture Nathan Rudgers, all of whom came to the August 17 family and friends chicken barbecue "Colby Homestead Farms Day." "Four hundred and fifty people came," Robert said, "for a sit-down barbecue and ice-cream social in the barn." But what of the future generations of Colbys? "We encourage our kids to look everywhere else first," Robert said, "and if they want to come back after that, they're welcome to become part of the farm." Robert's son, Jim, a junior at Spencerport High School and sporting a "San Francisco Art Museum" t-shirt, grabbed a broom and started sweeping feed back toward the cows' feeding trough. "I'm into music at school," Jim said, "the saxophone, guitar and piano, but I work weekends here and get paid." Daughter Sarah has begun her studies at Cornell and third child, Alex, is just 14-years-old. Chuck and Colette's two children, Chad and Camille, are still too young and sister Jean's daughter, Margarita, is in elementary school. Non-farming brother, Richard, a finance manager at Xerox and Pittsford resident, has two children, Scott and Marc. But for James A. Colby, grandfather, and Reta Bausch Colby, grandmother, the grandchildren's futures remain unknown. "I don't know what the children want," James said realistically. The future of farmland in New York Despite the legacy of the Colby Farms and the importance of agriculture in the state's economy, the very existence of a farm like the Colbys is threatened. According to the American Farmland Trust (www.farmland.org), "New York counties ranked three times in the nation's top 20 most-threatened areas for loss of cropland due to suburban sprawl, scatter development and large-lot subdivision: #10 - Hudson River Valley; #11 - Great Lakes Plains and Finger Lakes; #18 - Long Island." New Yorkers often are unaware that one-quarter of the entire state is owned by farm families, representing eight million acres; that New York farmers annually produce over $3 billion in agricultural production (gross receipts); that New York ranks 5th or higher nationally in ten categories of farm production: #3 in the nation in milk produced; #2 in apples; #2 in sweet corn for the fresh market; #3 in grapes; #5 in onions; #2 in maple syrup; #4 in cauliflower; #5 in celery; #4 in pears; and #2 in floriculture. Both Robert and Jean have been members of LEAD NY, an agribusiness leadership program sponsored by Cornell which assists farmers, market growers and others in ag-business to keep abreast of the changes in science, the political and cultural climate and the future of technology. Although 'heritage' is a big word for the Colby family, its significance is born lightly by Robert, Chuck and father, Jim. If farming teaches anything, it teaches patience. |
