Willow Creek Dairy
“We believe being certified organic for the last twenty years has given us the ability to leave the lowest impact on the environment. We constantly work to improve soil health, reduce contamination and to improve efficiencies in all areas. It is very important to us that our animals are treated with the best care throughout their life and given the best treatments available when they have health issues.”
Willow Creek farm was established in 1977 by the Deichmann family. The current operator, Chuck Deichmann, has lived on the farm since he was 10 years old. Chuck and his wife Julia took over operation in 1995 and raised their four children on the farm.
- Location :
- Belmont, New York
- #Cows :
- 120
- Milk production :
- Certified Organic
Although there was no organic certification program at the time, organic practices were implemented in most aspects of the farm. In 2000, the farm completed the USDA Certified Organic certification process, and the farm started shipping milk to Horizon Organic.
The farm milks 120 cows on 625 acres in the rolling hills of western New York. The cows at Willow Creek Farm are milked using robotic machines, allowing them to be milked an average of three times a day.
The farm today
Farms across the United States are challenged with an employee shortage. It is increasingly harder to find people that want to work in agriculture, and the cost of that labour continues to increase.
At Willow Creek Farm, technology continues to play a key role in addressing the labor shortage. In 2007, Willow Creek was the first organic dairy in the United States to install robotic milkers, which has allowed them to improve milk efficiency with low-stress cattle movement. Robotic milkers have allowed the farm to reduce milking parlor staffing needs, while allowing more time for cow observation and care.
More recently the farm has installed twenty cameras around the farm which allows monitoring of the barns and cows 24/7. Cow brushes and misters can also be found throughout the barn for improved cow care.
Willow Creek Farm was founded on the principle of providing an appealing and welcoming environment to the public. Chuck prides himself on continuously supporting education and outreach in the local community and each year the farm partners with a local college to host farm tours.
Through partnership with Danone North America and Horizon Organic, Willow Creek Farm has had the opportunity to represent organic dairy farming by hosting a virtual farm tour that was attended by individuals and fellow farmers representing eleven countries.
Nationally, Chuck has attended multiple conferences and events, and even hosted former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton for a farm tour in 2005!
Planning for the future
Willow Creek farm has prioritised many different projects to improve the farm’s environmental footprint. Here is a list of some of the latest projects on the farm:
- In 2021, Willow Creek Farm worked with Danone North America to make reductions in energy use on the farm. Improvements included the installation of solar panels on the barn. The barn lighting was transitioned to 100% LED, and new variable-speed and energy efficient fans were installed.
- Field management practices are continuously being updated to support and regenerate soil health. 100% of the acres farmed by Willow Creek Farm are in a no-till tillage system. The no-till planting system is coupled with the planting of cover crops across the majority of fields in order to reduce runoff.
- 100% of acres are planted in hay or pasture with a mix of orchard grass, timothy, clover, clover, fescue, perennial rye, and other native grasses.
- Manure is used as organic fertiliser to benefit the biodiversity of life below the soil surface across the farm.
- Being a hilly farm, Willow Creek Farm worked with the Natural Resource Conservation Services (NRCS) and Soil & Water District to drain and direct water, reduce runoff and build manure storage in order to improve water quality on and around the farm.
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- Location :
- American Falls, Idaho
- #Cows :
- 2600
- Milk production :
- Certified Organic
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