Here at Rocky Acres, we do all that we can to keep our cows as healthy as possible and provide a food source (our raw milk) that is safe for our consumers. Our cows are not organic- but we maintain management practices that keep our cows and our milk as natural as possible. We feel that having our cows out on pasture, grazing whenever possible, is the most natural way for a cow to live. No artificial growth hormones are used and there would never be any antibiotics nor drugs present in the milk. We welcome any additional questions about our ladies and welcome our customers to ask for a tour of our facilities and a chance to meet our cows at any time! Every cow on the farm has a name and they are very friendly!

Our herd of dairy cows typically consists of about 45 milking cows, along with another 40 or so heifers (calves and yearlings). The herd is mostly all Registered cattle, primarily Holstein cows, with a sprinkling of Jerseys, Brown Swiss, and Linebacks. These are the breeds of dairy cattle that we are most passionate about and we love coming down to the barn every morning to take care of these ladies! We love cows who work well on our farm- cows who graze well, making lots of good quality milk, but who also look good doing it! We love taking the fancy ones out to compete in the show ring! Here are a few examples of the kind we breed!!

Shakira

MS Po-Folks Gthr Shakira-VG-88 (as 4 yr old)
(Pictured as 2 year old)
Guthrie x Pintail Point Shannie EX-90 x EX-93 Durham x VG-87 Roy x Ocean View Lindy Sheen EX-94 EX-MS
Shakira completes 14 generations of VG or EX dams!
Just fresh again in March!! Can’t wait for the classifier!!
Lots of other family members in the herd, including maternal sisters by Lauren EX-90, Sammy GP-83 (Pictured Below) and Byway

Shenanigans

Po-Folks Sammy Shenanigans GP-83 (2yr)
(pictured as a 2 year old)
2nd Place in 2017 Northeast Fall National Holstein Futurity at the Big E
Sammy x Pintail-Point Shannie EX-90 x EX-93 Durham x VG-87 Roy x Ocean View Lindy Sheen EX-94 EX-MS
Potential 14th Generation VG or EX!
Just fresh again in March and she needs to see the classifier!!
Daughters by Byway & Atlantic

Shelly

Po Folks Hallmark Shelly EX-90
(pictured as a 2 yr old)
Hallmark x SHF Choice Shania (the cow Heather puchased in 1999, who ultimately led to her attendance at Virginia Tech!)
1st EX home bred Jersey and the matriarch of the entire Jersey herd at Rocky Acres

Summer

Po-Folks Giller Summer EX-92
(Pictured as 4 year old)
Giller x Rendition x EX-90 Hallmark
Great-Grand Dam purchased by Heather as a 4-H project in 1999 from Sycamore
Hill Farm, Syracuse, NY
Fresh again in March with twins on her 6th lactation and she looks great!!
Daughters by Tequila VG-86, Valentino VG-87, Valentino GP-83 (2yr old) & Gentry

Fantasy

Oakfield Byway Fantasy-ET
Byway x EX-94 Braxton x Harvue Roy Frosty EX-97-2E GMD
Others: Vailwood Ashk Harrah (Aftershock x EX-93 Sid x Quality-Ridge Stormi Hazel EX-96)
Rosedale Moon Beem (Beemer x VG-87 Ability x EX-92 x Shottle x Lavender Ruby Redrose-Red EX-96)

Healthy & Happy

Rocky Acres Farm is a seasonal, grass based dairy farm. This means that all of our cows calve in the months of March- May each year (this is when we start milking them), and they are milked until around Christmas, when they are dried off for the season. By drying them off, we give our cows at least two full months each year to be on “vacation,” allowing their bodies time to rest and get ready to have their next calf. When grass is growing and available, our cows go out on pasture, day and night, to eat the lush, green grass that grows so well on our “rocky” land. We balance out the diets of our cows by feeding supplemental hay, baleage, minerals, and some grain.