Amaris Elliott-Engel / Special to The Citizen
VENICE - Kevin and Barb Ziemba's dairy cows are the thoroughbreds of the dairy industry.
The Ziembas do sell milk from their small dairy of 30 to 35 cows at 2082 Poplar Ridge Road to Dairylea Cooperative, but the main focus of their farm is the breeding of animals with premium pedigrees and the enhanced value of top-of-the-line physical type, conformation and milk production.
They board high-end cows for about 10 parties. They are highly active in the national show circuit, including the World Dairy Expo.
They do embryo transfers from the cows they board and the ones they own.
“Our focus is a little bit different than 99.9 percent of the dairies in Cayuga County and in New York,” Kevin said.
The embryo transfer adds value to their livestock because it increases the number of possible offspring from a valuable cow. Offspring through regular breeding results in about 50 percent heifers and about 50 percent bulls, which usually just go for meat. A cow typically has a calf just once a year.
In contrast, for one client with a dairy farm in Batavia, the Ziembas had 150 embryos implanted in 2005.
Of that number, 115 cows got pregnant, and of that 55 heifers were born.
“That's really increasing the opportunity for that person to get a return on his investment on those individual cows,” Kevin said. “Each of those heifer calves is worth on average $4,000 to $5,000.”
Kevin, 32, and Barb, 29, said this kind of technology is important to improve the value of dairy livestock. They work with Holsteins, Jerseys and Brown Swiss cows.
While the size of their farm would not normally be sustainable with the industry's economy of scale, they are able to make a go of it because they have a niche market with a “focus on cows more and not focusing so much on the numbers factor,” Barb said.
They are both the products of diary farming parents.
Kevin's parents own Ziem Farms in Weedsport that has a well-known show string.
Barb's parents milked cows before selling out in 1992. The Ziembas started their farm at the same spot in 2001.
Both Ziembas said their higher education was important to forge a network within the dairy industry.
Both graduated with an animal science Bachelor's degree from Cornell University. Kevin also earn his master's degree at Cornell in animal quantitative genetics.
Kevin has worked for two genetics companies, including his current job as the Northeast Regional Market Manger for Select Sires Inc.
He manages 28 employees who sell bull semen from good-quality livestock to improve herds, provide advice for farmers on genetic issues and travel to farms to breed cows.
Barb has the main responsibility for running the farm.
She has not slowed up much despite the Ziembas expecting their first child in two weeks.
They hired a herd manager about six weeks ago, but they are still going to a major trade show at the Syracuse Fairgrounds next week.
It's just an example of the hard, but commitment-inspiring work agriculture provides, Kevin said.
“There's a public perception that (farmers) are unskilled people,” he said. “It's the furthest from the truth. There's also a perception with a lot of younger people if you either didn't grow up on a farm or grow up on a successful farm or if you don't know the right people, it's hard to get into it. If you stay focused and set goals and challenge yourself, you can do anything you set your mind to.”
The Ziembas do sell milk from their small dairy of 30 to 35 cows at 2082 Poplar Ridge Road to Dairylea Cooperative, but the main focus of their farm is the breeding of animals with premium pedigrees and the enhanced value of top-of-the-line physical type, conformation and milk production.
They board high-end cows for about 10 parties. They are highly active in the national show circuit, including the World Dairy Expo.
They do embryo transfers from the cows they board and the ones they own.
“Our focus is a little bit different than 99.9 percent of the dairies in Cayuga County and in New York,” Kevin said.
The embryo transfer adds value to their livestock because it increases the number of possible offspring from a valuable cow. Offspring through regular breeding results in about 50 percent heifers and about 50 percent bulls, which usually just go for meat. A cow typically has a calf just once a year.
In contrast, for one client with a dairy farm in Batavia, the Ziembas had 150 embryos implanted in 2005.
Of that number, 115 cows got pregnant, and of that 55 heifers were born.
“That's really increasing the opportunity for that person to get a return on his investment on those individual cows,” Kevin said. “Each of those heifer calves is worth on average $4,000 to $5,000.”
Kevin, 32, and Barb, 29, said this kind of technology is important to improve the value of dairy livestock. They work with Holsteins, Jerseys and Brown Swiss cows.
While the size of their farm would not normally be sustainable with the industry's economy of scale, they are able to make a go of it because they have a niche market with a “focus on cows more and not focusing so much on the numbers factor,” Barb said.
They are both the products of diary farming parents.
Kevin's parents own Ziem Farms in Weedsport that has a well-known show string.
Barb's parents milked cows before selling out in 1992. The Ziembas started their farm at the same spot in 2001.
Both Ziembas said their higher education was important to forge a network within the dairy industry.
Both graduated with an animal science Bachelor's degree from Cornell University. Kevin also earn his master's degree at Cornell in animal quantitative genetics.
Kevin has worked for two genetics companies, including his current job as the Northeast Regional Market Manger for Select Sires Inc.
He manages 28 employees who sell bull semen from good-quality livestock to improve herds, provide advice for farmers on genetic issues and travel to farms to breed cows.
Barb has the main responsibility for running the farm.
She has not slowed up much despite the Ziembas expecting their first child in two weeks.
They hired a herd manager about six weeks ago, but they are still going to a major trade show at the Syracuse Fairgrounds next week.
It's just an example of the hard, but commitment-inspiring work agriculture provides, Kevin said.
“There's a public perception that (farmers) are unskilled people,” he said. “It's the furthest from the truth. There's also a perception with a lot of younger people if you either didn't grow up on a farm or grow up on a successful farm or if you don't know the right people, it's hard to get into it. If you stay focused and set goals and challenge yourself, you can do anything you set your mind to.”
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