Coon Brothers Farm

Amenia, New York

“The focus on the farm has always been three things, efficiency, making it enjoyable and profitable for the employees and the partners involved. So, what do the next 50 years hold for the Coon Brothers? Anything is possible!”
                                                                                                    ~ David Coon                                                                                                                                                         

Since milking their first cow over fifty years ago, Coon Brothers Farm has been a leader in environmental stewardship. Garrison and Dirck Coon founded Coon Brothers Farm, located on a hillside in Smithfield Valley of Amenia, New York in the fall of 1953. Less than ten years later, Garry teamed up with the local Conservation District to find ways to reduce soil erosion and Coon Brothers Farm has continued to practice conservation methods every since. They received the Conservation Farm of the Year Award from the Dutchess County Soil and Water Conservation District in 1977 and Dirck served as a director on the Conservation District Board from 1979 to 1983. In 1985, the Coon Brothers enrolled in the USDA’s Long Term Agreement, enabling them to identify all highly erodible land and put a conservation farming plan in place.

They have also made consistent strides in farming innovation. In the 1980s they began the practice of TMR or Total Mixed Rations, blending by machine a combination of nutritionally-balanced forage and grains. This dairy cattle nutrition program improves milk production, the cow’s health, and her reproductive performance.

And since 1996, Coon Brothers has been one of the first demonstration farms for the Governor’s Agricultural Environmental Management (AEM) program which encompasses the whole farm and addresses its impact on water quality and other natural resources. As a result of the program and the Coon Brothers participation, Dutchess County farmers are receiving help with waste management, fencing of clean waters, and rotational grazing. In 2000, Coon Brothers Farm was awarded the New York State Environmental Stewardship Award, presented each year to a New York farm family that best incorporates conservation practices into their farm business. In that same year, Garry passed away. Today, David Coon, the son of Dirck and Pat, now runs the farm along with his brother Peter. Peter and his wife Alice have five children: Lisa, Teri, Isaac, Laura and Amos. Lisa is an architect working for Sloan Architecture. Teri has graduated from college and is a practicing veterinarian in Lancaster Pennsylvania. Laura is in college and is living with Teri in Pennsylvania. Amos is currently pursuing an agricultural career in Queensbury, New York on a dairy farm. Isaac is back on the farm working full time and recently married to Amber. David is married to Kim and they have two children, Caitlyn and Andrew who both now work on the farm, taking care of young stock and show animals. Coon Brothers Farm currently manages over 2,000 acres, most of which is cropped for alfalfa hay to feed the cattle along with rye, corn and soybeans for grain. Half of that land is actively protected from development. They milk more than 350 of their 600 herd of Holsteins and Guernseys and ship almost 20,000 pounds of milk daily. Besides producing milk for Hudson Valley Fresh, they often show their Guernseys at the Dutchess County Fair in New York State and at the Eastern States Exposition. Dirck and his wife Carol now enjoy training, hunting and showing black and tan coon hounds, and Dirck still finds time to work on the farm.

Awards and Notable Mentions:
 

• First farm in the county to focus on nutrient management
   

• Since 1963, Coon Brothers Farm has made the Honor Roll list of the Dairy Herd Improvement Association, Inc.
   

• First farm in the county to receive the Conservation Farm of the Year Award from the Dutchess County Soil and Water Conservation District in 1977
   

• Named the “Champion of Conservation” by the Conservation Technology Information Center in 2005
   

• Coon Brothers Farm is one of the tour stops of the 2004 National Guernsey Convention
   

• Winner of the 2000 NYS Environmental Stewardship Award