The local farming community is full of hardworking Ohioans who are finding new and creative ways to keep agriculture thriving. This story is part of a “Sound of Us” series featuring farmers in and around Wooster, Ohio.
David Hershberger guided about 50 cows into the barn at his Fredericksburg farm in Wayne County. The caramel brown and black and white spotted animals stood with Archie, a buggy horse and Buttercup, a pony. David’s wife, Emily, opened the barn door from the other side to bring in about a dozen of the cows to the milking stalls.
The Hershbergers start their evening chores before the sun goes down. They don't have outdoor lights to see in the dark to continue farming at night. They’re Amish.
Using modern technology such as electricity from the main power line goes against their beliefs, and working late would keep them from eating dinner together, which would conflict with the Amish practice of families sharing meals.
The Hershbergers have dinner after their son gets home from work.
“So often, if we’d wait and eat until we came in from the barn in the evening, then he’d have other plans and was ready to leave,” Emily Hershberger said. “So now, he comes home at quarter after four, and then I'll have supper ready.”
David and Emily’s business, Legend Hollow Farm, is an organic dairy farm. When they bought the 80-acre property in 2006, they farmed conventionally using chemicals. They transitioned to an all-natural farm three years later.
Producing organic milk
The Hershbergers are part of a co-op group of farmers in Wayne County who supply milk for Organic Valley, a national brand out of Wisconsin.
Organic Valley asked them to produce grass milk a few years back, David Hershberger said.
“I like to try things,” he added. “So, we’ve been doing that since ‘16. We were the first load of grass milk out of the state of Ohio.”
Grass milk is produced by cows who only eat grass hay and no grain.
Emily grew up on a dairy farm about a mile down the road. She and David started farming on her parents' property, where they also use organic methods.
“Since he didn’t grow up on a dairy farm… he wasn’t stuck in his way of thinking,” Emily said. “He was more open-minded.”
Emily loosened the bar where the animal's head fits and an oversized pregnant cow backed out of the stall. She walked her out of the barn with her hand resting on the animal's back.
The Hershbergers said they want to be good stewards, not just of the animals, but of the land God has given them.
Producing organic milk is also profitable. A recent survey found organic milk sales grew 5% per year between 2018 and 2022, because people view organic milk as more wholesome and freer of hormones and additives than conventional milk.
Sticking to traditions and values
“Wouldn’t you say that organic has allowed us to stay more true to our roots?” Emily asked David.
“Absolutely, because we’re getting paid a lot more than conventional dairy is, and obviously you’re able to stay smaller when you get paid more for your product,” David answered. “It's easier to stay smaller.”
The size of dairy farms vary. Conventional dairy has at least 150 cows. Organic farmers milk about 80 cows.
The Amish community used to milk cows by hand decades ago, David said. Now, many — including the Hershbergers — use a pipeline, where milk is transferred from the cows to a large cooling tank. The Hershbergers are upgrading their pipeline this summer to a milking parlor. It's part of a building where cows are milked.
For the Hershbergers, organic dairy farming allows them to produce a type of milk that's in demand without forfeiting their traditions and beliefs. They’ve figured out a way to continue farming by using equipment that accommodates their lifestyle.
They’re still evolving, though. David plans to buy more cows and acreage in the future to bring his son on as a farmer. But they’re not going to grow too large — just enough to support two farmers.
