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by Annie Cunningham

The debate about large and small dairies continues today, but after touring a 165-head dairy and 2,400-head dairy, visitors found that the two dairies had a lot in common.

Ohio Farm Bureau’s NeighborConnections program organized a tour of the two dairies in Williams County to explore the environmental, economic and social issues surrounding dairy operations in Ohio. Herman’s Holsteins operated by Donald and Tony Herman in Edgerton and Bridgewater Dairy operated by Leon and Chris Weaver in Bridgewater were the tour sites. The dairy operators gave tour participants information on management practices, environmental regulations, water quality and supply, manure storage and digestion systems, diversity of operations in Ohio, competitive milk production and pricing, tax issues, property values, public attitudes and good neighbor relations.

The Hermans operate a 165-head dairy, milking three times a day. Donald Herman established the farm in 1967. The family knows its neighbors well, and hires local teenagers to help at the dairy. Son Tony now manages the herd, while Don manages the crops. Tony Herman said though there are many large dairies moving to Ohio and he wants his children to have a place on the farm, he currently does not feel he needs to increase his herd to compete.

"We have a very good and profitable herd," Tony Herman said. "We’ve gone three years without losing a calf, and healthy cows are profitable cows."

Leon Weaver was raised on a dairy farm in Pennsylvania. After becoming a veterinarian, he moved to California and raised his family there. Just a few years ago, his son, Chris, showed a major interest in the dairy operation, and the Weaver family partnered with another man and searched the country for the best place to build a large dairy. In 1998, they found Williams County. At Bridgewater dairy, they milk 2,400 cows twice a day.

Weaver said the only differences between his large dairy and neighboring smaller dairies is linear feet and more employees. He said there was some resistance in the community when neighbors learned a large dairy operation was moving into their community, but Weaver took great strides in reaching out to those neighbors. Before construction of the dairy commenced, Weaver reached out to neighbors in a two-mile radius. The Weavers buy all their implements and forage from local businesses and farmers. They also contract with farmer neighbors to have manure from their lagoons spread. The Weavers hold an open house each year for the community. While Weaver does employ migrant workers, he, like the Hermans, hire local workers as well.

"We want to support the economy of our community. We estimated that we spent $3.5 million with local businesses during the construction of the dairy. Each year we add approximately $2.5 million to the local economy in goods and services," Weaver said. "If we don’t have good relationships within the community, we don’t have a chance."

Sheer size and numbers are obviously the main difference in the dairies. Weaver has more barns with more cows in them than the Hermans. The Hermans have a double-six milking parlor, while the Weavers have a double 25. Herman has one cement manure pit, and each of Weaver’s eight barns has a manure lagoon.

"People seem to watch us more now that large dairies are moving into Ohio, but we really haven’t had any problems," Tony Herman said.

Weaver said his farm is often thought of as one of the large Dutch dairies that are moving into Ohio and is often referred to as a "factory farm." "Obviously, we are not Dutch. I have no problem with the Dutch moving in as long as they do their homework, but we are not a Vebra-Hoff dairy. All of us on this tour come from ancestors who immigrated here, so I have no problem with that," Weaver said. "When I first heard the term ‘factory farm,’ I was offended, but we do run like a factory. We are running 24 hours a day: I manage the farm, my wife takes care of the books and Chris runs the dairy. We are like a factory. Does that make us bad? No. We’re still a family farm."

Something the two dairies have in common is low milk prices and high input costs, but both families work hard to make their farms profitable and environmentally friendly. Both farms conduct environmental tests and take preventive measures to reduce the risk of water contamination. Both raise their cows very similarly. They live in open stall barns, and calves are raised in hutches for the first 60 days. There are some small differences in the barns and calf hutches, but overall the two dairy operations are very similar in everything but size and number of cows.

"Our visits with the Hermans and Weavers illustrated that Ohio dairy operators have much more in common in the issues, opportunities and challenges they face than differences," said Constance Jackson, OFBF vice president of agricultural ecology. "As has been true in Farm Bureau’s history, we have much to gain by working together to address those issues."