By Troy Bishopp
The dust bowl era in the Midwest displaced many families, including farmers. Edson and Harriet Durfee were one of them. Luckily for New York and Madison County, they and their three children moved back east from Nebraska and settled their dairy farm on 120 acres of river bottom soils and Honeoye hills which fed the appetites of the, then, quiet hamlet of Chittenango.
Going on five generations in the community since then, their dedicated land stewardship, soil conservation and farm management has garnered the coveted 38th annual Conservation Farm of the Year by the Madison County Soil and Water Conservation District.
“We appreciate the opportunity to work with the Durfee family and help them achieve their conservation goals, including enhancement of soil health practices and protection of numerous water bodies within the Oneida Lake Watershed,” said District Manager Steve Lorraine.
The historic dairy farm started around 1940 with Edson and Harriet milking 24 cows and growing crops with their son, Warner, to today’s 900-cow and 2,200-acre Tuscarora Dairy partnership between Steve, Mary Lou, Nate, Ben and Dan Durfee. A crew of family and 25 full- and part-time employees take care of the animals, the land, a seasonal farm stand and maintain the equipment and facilities. Their high-quality milk is sold to the Oneida-Madison Cooperative with the farm receiving numerous Super Milk Awards.
In creating viability and vitality, conservation practices play an integral part on this modern farm. “Soil is a limited resource so you want to protect it, it’s that simple,” said Durfee. “Since our soils are prone to leaching, it’s a no-brainer for us. And we want to be good neighbors communicating our passion within our growing community.”
The farm is being recognized for a multitude of conservation measures which include: Nutrient management, precision feed management, strip cropping, no-till planting, cover crops, zone tillage, animal waste systems, manure injection, silage leachate collection, constructed wetlands for nutrient reduction, roof water control structures and stream bank stabilization projects.
Don Clark (field crops), Doug Durfee (mechanic), Brian Jonker (herd /field), Nancy Durfee Townsend (grounds), Steve Durfee, Mildred Durfee, Beth Durfee Taylor (stand), Mary Lou Durfee. Left to right in the back: Nick Bloom (milking tech), Doug Townsend (mechanic), John Horrigan (herdsman), Ben Durfee, Dan Durfee, Morgan Durfee, Mark Denton (herd / field), Lea Clarke (herd / field), Garrett Matzell (herd / field), Iuliu Jonker (feeding), Ed & George Gridley (herd & field contractors).
In addition to their busy schedules, the Durfee Family also volunteers. They are longtime New York Farm Bureau members and active in their community. Marylou is a 4-H dairy leader who has coached eight elected dairy princesses at the farm is on the Madison County dairy princess committee. Steve is currently the Madison County Farmland Protection Board chairman and Town of Sullivan chairperson for the zoning board of appeals. Nate serves on the Madison County Farm Bureau and Madison County CCE boards and is on the board of directors for the Farm Service Agency. The farm also hosts school tours and mentor college students in dairy management.
“Working with our local conservation district to obtain sound technical advice, nutrient management planning and financial resources while addressing farm resiliency in our busy community has been invaluable,” said the Durfees. “This award honors our whole family’s commitment to agriculture and providing our customers with the highest quality, delicious dairy products. It’s nice to receive affirmation for our work and expense, but we don’t farm for the accolades. We just want to leave our soil better for the next generations than when we started.”
