By Tamara Scully, NODPA News contributing writer
Madison County, NY: If organic certification or certified grass-fed milk ceased to exist in the consumer marketplace, things would stay the same at Rocky Top Acres, LLC, located in Hubbardsville, New York. The 100 head of dairy cows, heifers and calves would still be fed exclusively with forages grown on the farm, and the animals would still be out on pasture, managed in an intensive management grazing system. And they’d never use any pesticides, insecticides, herbicides or any other ‘cide’ on the land. “We just believe in doing what we’re doing,” Chuck Blood said. “There are organic farmers who believe in what they’re doing and have a passion for it and have a deep commitment to the land and the animals.”
And things would continue to evolve, as the Blood family - Chuck and Mary, along with their daughter Autum - focus on their continued dedication to the land they value, and the life they love. Striving for constant improvement and finding the best practices for their land is written into their mission statement: “We believe we are stewards of the land and creatures that inhabit it and it is our responsibility to maintain it as a viable, thriving environment for us and the future generations.”
Chuck is one of the organic pioneers, lobbying for national standards of practice, and is very active in the organic farming community. The Blood’s farm has been certified organic by NOFA-NY for 28 years, although they could have done so prior to that, as they were waiting for the development of an organic milk market and the associated incentives. The farm became certified grass-fed in 2011, under Organic Plus Trust Standards.
In 1982, Chuck and Mary began working for the Danisevich Farm as hired help. In 1987, Chuck and Mary approached and created a partnership to purchase the farm which became Rocky Top Acres. They gradually purchased the animals, machinery and land, and their dream of owning their own dairy farm came to fruition. From the beginning, Chuck and Mary practiced low input sustainable agriculture, eventually becoming certified organic, and certified grass-fed. They are currently shipping to Organic Valley and are Real Organic Project (ROP) certified.
Autum, now a partner with her parents in the farm’s LLC, returned full-time to the farm nine years ago. For Autum, returning to the farm was never in question, “I initially wanted to stay on the farm right after high school, but my parents felt all of us (myself and my three sisters) needed to experience other aspects of life off a farm to make sure we understood the commitment,” Autum said. “The next night after that conversation an army recruiter called, and I took that as a sign. I spent four years in the Army. I still didn’t come back full-time to the farm, even though I built my home down the road, until after I completed a four-year degree in Human Nutrition and worked a few years in the field. I kept coming back realizing my heart was at the farm.”
Chuck and Mary felt that Autum’s desire to return the farm was a “blessing and a curse,” as they were farming with no retirement plan, no succession plan, and didn’t want to see any of their children in the same stressful position.
But Autum kept coming back to the farm, helping part-time while working full-time or going to school. After multiple discussions, Autum and her parents committed to a goal of her eventually taking over the dairy. They created an LLC, which allowed ownership of the liquid assets of the dairy farm to be divided between Chuck, Mary and Autum, with the flexibility for Autum to gain more ownership percentage, until the farm is fully transitioned.
The key to working together as a family has been respect, mutual goals and Autum’s ability to prove herself - and her parent’s desire to listen - when she wants to implement changes on the farm. If Autum can show them the facts, and make a solid argument, her parents are open to changes she suggests. “For everything you think that I did right, I probably did it wrong 99 times,” Chuck said, emphasizing the farm’s focus on continually adapting and improving practices. “Make sure to learn from your mistakes.”
Allowing Autum to introduce new ideas and implement new methods of management is a part of that overall philosophy, and the ongoing evolution of the farm. “It is something I really do value about my relationship with my parents. I have to prove it is something we should try, with some evidence,” Autum said. “We respect each other’s strengths, we balance each other.”
These strengths happen to complement each other, making division of labor easier. Mary feeds the calves and sets up the milkhouse, while Autum and Chuck handle the milking together, as well as the field work. They have a contract hire who assists with milking. Despite the informal division of labor, they work together on all aspects of farming to keep the dairy running smoothly. “There is no job specific to any one person,” Chuck said. “I rely on Autum for her natural ability with the animals”
The farm consists of 528 acres of owned land of which 414 acres are tillable - although they do not till any land. They also rent 212 acres of cropland. The only crop grown on the farm is pasture and hay.
The first cutting of hay is taken off of most fields, and a second cutting taken from certain flexible fields, to meet the needs of the grazing system. Fifty acres of land are considered flexible, and can be used for additional pasture each season, as needed. The pastures are a native grass mix of orchard grass, Kentucky blue grass, big stem and multiple clovers. “I’d like to establish more reeds canary grass and birdsfoot trefoil, however they have been challenging to establish and also to source organically,” Chuck said.
A goal is to have 30 percent of the forage in each pasture coming from clover, which will then provide 65 -70 pounds of nitrogen to feed the grass. They will rejuvenate fields as needed by frost seeding or no-till methods. In winter, after good snow coverage and a January thaw, they will throw down Mammoth or Medium Red clover seeds. These hard-shelled seeds will germinate when conditions are right for the seed to do so. They do brushog the pastures, to prevent weed seeds from developing. They clip back weeds that get too high, with Queen Anne’s lace being a particular concern. “This has been the most effective means of rejuvenating the pasture,” Chuck said of clipping and frost seeding.
For several years, while renovating the 1929 stanchion barn, the cows were outwintered, with an option to return to the barn. They utilized winter pastures with natural wind breaks for several years prior to erecting a heavy use feeding area (HUFA) in 2022. The renovated former stanchion barn contains the holding area, as well as maternity and calf pens.
Today, the new HUFA provides a designated area for them to feed the herd during the winter, preventing damage to the pastures during inclement weather. This change from outwintering and feeding in the pasture has resulted in an increase in milk production of about three to five pounds per cow. They attribute that increase primarily to the cows maintaining optimal comfort and homeostasis.
Cows are moved into the bedded pack the day before hunting season starts, typically around November 15th. If there is excessively wet fall weather, they may also move them in for a period before that. “We don’t want to sacrifice our pasture,” Autum said.
The HUFA is a hybrid system, not a true bedded pack, as they do not allow the bedding to pile up. Rather, it is cleaned out approximately every two weeks, with new bedding added daily, which consists of fine shredded, first cut dry bales (and yes, the cows do eat it). They clean the areas where cows stand daily, along with the holding area and pad.
Manure from the HUFA is spread in the fall, in the form of stored pack manure. They recently enhanced their manure storage to comply with New York State environmental regulations, using a covered concrete pad to store manure and prevent spreading on saturated or frozen ground. This pack style manure is not exposed to the elements as their old open air piles previously were, which allows better containment. They are not seeing the same microbial action as had occurred in their open piles, but after being spread in the fall, the manure will “get all winter to deteriorate” in the fields”, Chuck said.
The new manure storage is “almost fully enclosed,” Chuck said, with walled and roofed storage, mostly blocking the free flow of air. The manure is not as wet as daily spread manure content. The NPK nutrient profile is 7-8-2, and it is spread at the opportune times for fertility and to prevent runoff.
Increasing soil health, and enhancing forage nutritional quality and cow health, is an ongoing goal. If the soil isn’t productive, the cows will let them know. “I use my girls. If they don’t eat it, I don’t feed it.” Chuck said. “What they are willing to eat and what is left” tells him what he needs to know about the forage quality.
They do believe in being proactive, and soil tests are done a minimum of once every three years on the pastures and fields. They use soil amendments, like bone meal, lime and gypsum, to improve the soils.
Cows are fed stored feed while in the HUFA during late fall and winter. In the fall, the DMI from pasture ranges from 40-50 percent, and is supplemented with baleage and hay. “What changes as winter approaches, when paddocks are not providing sufficient food, we feed in the pasture during the daytime allowing them to still graze some if desired but still meet their requirements by feeding them. In the evening, they are still free to go to a pasture, however they are able to choose to stay in the winter barn and eat at the rail, where we feed a bale for that evening,” Autum said. “Many eat what they desire and choose to leave the barn to spend the night in the paddock.”
Once there is snow, the cows are fed at the rail with two bales of baleage in the morning and two baleage bales at night. These amounts are adjusted up or down, depending on the cows’ needs. Cows always have access to a dry bale of first or second cutting hay. The milking herd always has free access to the outdoors.
As spring green-up occurs, the cows are allowed to graze for a few hours per day, with the duration of grazing gradually increasing to prevent digestive upset. They will be supplemented at the rail, until they are fully transitioned to pasture. The DMI during the summer grazing season is 95 percent from pasture grazing, as the cows are out grazing all of the time, with access to a high-quality first cutting of hay on the way out to pasture. “The hay adds some needed fiber to the pasture diet, Chuck said, adding roughage to help increase butterfat content of the milk. The hay lasts a long time since the cows are most interested in grazing”
“The majority of our animals are meeting their nutritional needs through grazing only,” Autum said. “The only exception is our youngest age group - less than six months - being supplemented additionally with high-quality, dry second cutting. We made our grazing systems all-inclusive for all age groups even though technically the youngest bracket, less than 6 months, does not have to be on pasture, because we have found the animals benefit substantially from the access to outdoors.”
They are constantly re-evaluating their grazing system. They want to increase the pasture intake from grazing, improve forage nutritional quality, and therefore enhance cow nutrition. “Our grazing system is the backbone of the operation,” Chuck and Autum said. “We are still learning how to graze. With intensive management grazing, you must watch your cows.”
Paddocks are designed to grow a bit more than the cows can consume. Permanent fields have permanent fencing of high-tensile wire with wooden posts every 40 feet, while temporary wires and step-in posts are used in the flexible fields. The permanently fenced pastures vary in size depending on topography, trees and soil type. Some are three acres; others are one and one-half acre. They are 24-hour paddocks.
“Our animals are out to pasture 24/7 except for milking times,” Autum said “When it’s a hot day, we change our rotation pattern to our paddocks that provide natural shade and water, allowing the cows to properly keep themselves cool and comfortable.”
Free choice minerals are available to all age groups, even new born calves. Phosphorus is important because they don’t feed grain. They use T& P Pasture Pack, a local feed mineral mix along with Redmond Conditioner®, which is an all-natural volcanic clay, Redmond Garlic Salt, kelp, dicalcium phosphate, and diatomaceous earth.
Breeding age and bred heifers graze together on 74 acres, divided into eight paddocks, in a rotational system. Calves less than six months of age are in a four-paddock system, across two acres, with supplemental feeding of the best organic second cutting hay and milk.
Those animals which are older than six months of age, but are not yet ready to be bred - basically the animals between 200 and 600 pounds - are grazed on 9 total acres of land, and rotated every three to seven days on nine divided paddocks, depending on pasture conditions.
Following low-input, sustainable farming practices, they use natural water on the farm. A recent grant from the National Farmers Organization provided a solar water pump system to move water from a farm pond and into grazing paddocks for the milking herd. They use seven natural springs on the pond and a gravity-fed pipe system as well, supplying water to the paddocks for breeding age group.
Rocky Top Acres has been with Organic Valley since 2010. They had previously shipped to Hood, Horizon, and The Organic Cow (which was bought by Horizon) Juniper Valley, and Butternut. The milking herd ranges throughout the year from about 60 to 80 head, depending on the number of dry cows they have at any given time. There are 60 head milking currently, and there will be approximately 70 cows milking by the first of the year, with a high of 80 milking by February.
The milking now occurs in the double six herringbone parlor they installed in 2020 and started using in 2021.The parlor hardware was 30 years old when they purchased it and took it out from another farm. “It didn’t change production levels from stanchion milking, Chuck said, but the cows definitely are more motivated to milk. It’s a comfort issue, and a safety one, for both the cows and the humans.”
The parlor was designed with the animal’s comfort and human contact in mind. They researched parlors at other farms and asked farmers what they wish they had done differently. Then, they designed their parlor to have a wider and deeper pit, to allow for room to maneuver safely in all circumstances, and to account for the height of those doing the milking. “We don’t want to lose quality time with our cows,” Autum added. “We wanted the parlor to be as wide as ours is.”
Keeping in close contact with the cows, by being able to freely move amongst them and have the ability to treat them in the parlor, was an important part of the parlor design decision-making process. The wide design allows them to observe the cows and monitor their needs, as preventative treatment and observation are critical components to the farm’s organic management practices. “We aren’t trying to be efficient as much as we are trying to take care of our animals,” Autum and Chuck said. It also allows for “economics of labor,” as one person could milk the cows without issue.
Five years after making the switch to parlor milking, the cows remain as acclimated to human contact as they were, attesting to the effort they put in and the decisions they made when designing the parlor. The age of the cows in the milking herd currently averages eight years old. The oldest cow milking is 13 years, however, they have had cows up to 17 years old in the milking herd. “We don’t turn over animals very quickly, animals tend to have a long life here,” they said.
Their annual production averages 9,300 pounds per cow. The somatic cell count averages 188,000. Milk butterfat content averages 3.8 percent, and protein averages 3.04 percent on an annual basis. Total solids are approximately 12.2, hovering around the new Organic Valley premium pay percentage. They test their milk monthly, using Dairy One.
The cows are primarily Milking Shorthorn crosses. They have some Hereford crosses, which they introduced in the late 1990s, while some Dutch Belted Holstein genetics remain in the herd. They also have some Lineback’s and Jersey crosses. They recently added some Fleckvieh genetics, from breeding with a Fleckvieh bull two years ago, and are quite pleased with the results. The Milking Shorthorns have a great disposition, and Fleckvieh genetics add to the body conditioning.
While Chuck can breed by artificial insemination, he chooses not to do so, instead they use a herd bull. The primary issue with AI is the cost of the semen, as well as conception rate. During the summer, while grazing 24/7, they don’t always observe the heats as easily and the bull can breed the herd, and they get better conception results than they did with AI. They use the best bull they have in their own herd for breeding each year. They will buy in a bull, which is the only reason they aren’t a closed herd. They select for feet, legs, chest cavity - the traits that indicate strength, seeking a cow that “can walk a mile and still make milk,” Chuck said.
Increasing body condition is a goal without sacrificing milk production. Because they are grassfed, they are regularly scored on body conditioning. They are currently raising another Milking Shorthorn bull for breeding age heifers this fall, and he will be introduced into the milking herd the following year. They would like to find another Fleckvieh bull calf to raise for future breeding.
With a low turnover rate in the milking herd, they aim to raise 12 replacement heifers annually. Calves that are not raised are sold to the local market, however, there is no organic dairy calf market. They did have an organic beef calf buyer, but that person is no longer in business.
They do send some bred heifers or cows to an organic buyer if they must cull some animals. “Certain things we consider when we cull are, surplus numbers, udder configuration of the animal, or we don’t like her attitude.”
Animals six months and over are vaccinated for pink eye in the spring, and in the fall, are given a 10-way vaccine, primarily for pneumonia. This year they are introducing apple cider vinegar as a preventative for upper respiratory issues, adding it to the milking herd’s feed. “Along with some research on the benefits and our own observations after using it with a sick cow this past winter, we find it is worth trying it with the whole herd as a preventative” Autum said. “The prevention is the critical piece.”
Adding diatomaceous earth to minerals is another beneficial preventative. “When you are a grazing herd you have to be concerned with parasite load. It is critical to watch for signs of parasitic infestation in your livestock - especially your youngest age groups - like body condition, manure composition, and mineral consumption,” Autum and Chuck said. “That is why we continue to supplement dry second cutting to this age group and keep them on milk up to five months. They don’t have that immunity foundation yet that can handle the detrimental attack of a parasite infestation and demands of development.”
Dr. Guy Dettloff, a retired Organic Valley veterinarian, taught them the importance of diatomaceous earth in parasite control. They credit his teaching as the impetus behind their use of diatomaceous earth for parasite control in the herd, which has been beneficial to herd health.
They currently dehorn calves using a burner method and dull-it to reduce pain sensation for the calves. They also use some polled genetics and about 20% of their calves are now polled.
Six calves are raised in the spring and six in the fall. The calf stays with the mother for 12 to 24 hours, in a maternity pen, which they’ve found increases calf and cow health. Calves are not vaccinated at birth. They have six newborn calf pens, where the calves can see one another and socialize. They are bottle fed from fresh cow’s milk via pail milker for approximately two weeks and then moved to a group type pen. Once calves are in group pen, they are already on milk pails and have free access to water and minerals. All calves from newborn to grouped calves have access to minerals, second cutting and water throughout the day. The second cutting bales are processed, so they are easier to digest.
They have been introducing mob feeders into the group pens but have had issues with cross-sucking. The flow from the nipples is too fast, and they are working on a design to slow things down. A slower flow will allow the calves to spend more time sucking on the feeder, thereby lowering the desire to cross-sucking.
The calf pens are bedded with kiln dried shavings, which provide a clean, dry, and long-lasting bedding, absorbing moisture well. Calves go out to pasture as early as three weeks of age.
Utilizing social media platforms would be an effective means of spreading the word about organic dairy farming, and Autum would like to see the organic dairy industry optimize their use of social media to better market the products and the organic dairy farming culture. Connecting the milk back to the stewardship of the land and the mission of the farm raising that milk would enhance the value of organic milk. “Organic farming is not just about the product we produce, and sadly that seems to be all that is highlighted when it comes to a defining characteristic that people talk about,” she said. “I want people to say, ‘I chose organic milk because I like how the farm raises their cows or how they implement certain standards, not just about how the milk tastes’.”
While Chuck was involved in lobbying for the National Organic Program standards, he felt the DMI of 30 percent from pasture was too low, and that as things developed, the standards would be raised. Today, he laments the large, “organic” dairy farms, and the lax enforcement of even the existing standards. He is seeking solutions, not excuses, to protect and enhance organic certification.
Currently, Chuck is serving on Organic Valley’s Dairy Executive Committee (DEC). There are five DEC representatives in New York, elected by the cooperative’s members. Their role is to serve as a liaison between the dairy farming members and Organic Valley’s executives, listening to complaints or suggestions from members and representing their concerns. Chuck also wants to see improvements in local certified organic infrastructure. “The organic community needs to look into an organic slaughter facility,” Chuck said.
Autum and Chuck feel it is important to learn from other farmers and they routinely attend pasture walks and conferences. “It’s important to continue to learn something new every day,” they said. “It’s the simple things that sometimes can make the biggest impact.” At Rocky Top Acres, LLC they are still improving, learning and growing.
The Bloods can be reached at Rocky Top Acres, LLC, 1659 Quaker Hill Road, Hubbardsville, New York, 13355, rockytopacres@frontiernet.net, or rockytoporganics@gmail.com, 315-899-8907.
Posted: to Featured Farms on Sat, Nov 15, 2025
Updated: Sat, Nov 15, 2025
