Millerhurst Farm resumes milking operations in new barn

ANCRAMDALE — Nearly a year after a devastating electrical fire destroyed their farm’s two dairy barns, killing 46 of their 47 dairy cows and forcing the farm’s remaining animals to find temporary homes, the Miller family of Ancramdale has at last welcomed their beloved cows back to Millerhurst Farm and resumed the farm’s milking operations, this time within the shelter of a new and improved barn.

In the wake of their farm’s devastation, Mike and Emily Miller were overwhelmed by the generosity and support they received from the community along with the donations, fundraisers and community events organized in support of their plans to rebuild. The rebuilding process began to take shape mid-February when the family took down the silos, and was officially set into motion as construction of the new milking barn began in April.

Because the manure pit was left behind from the original structure, the Miller family decided to have the new barn built on top of the same spot in order to utilize the original manure system. Over the course of a prolonged rebuilding process, S & L Builders concentrated on the barn’s construction while CK Manufacturing completed the concrete work. As the companies rotated the work around their schedules, Mike explained that S & L Builders started by setting up the barn frame and putting on the roof before CK Manufacturing poured the concrete; later the barn’s walls, ceiling and roof were established while Stanford Refrigeration set up the barn’s milking equipment. 

While he chose not to disclose the exact amount for reconstructing the barn, Mike noted that the costs were expensive enough to exceed the family’s insurance as well as community donations. However, he explained that “if it weren’t for the generous donations as well as the insurance, we would not have rebuilt.”

Mike shared his and his family’s appreciation for the local farmers who offered their support and the members of the Eastern New York Holstein Club for their contributions and for taking excellent care of their cows.

With summer winding down, the Miller family had a finished barn by the end of July. Throughout the winter, Mike noted that they had at least one cow that was milked in order to feed the calves on the farm. During the time in which the new barn was being built, four of the farm’s cows took up a temporary residence at Ronnybrook Farm in Pine Plains; nine cows found a temporary home at Lo-Nan Farms in Pine Plains; two cows stayed at Stephen Van Tassel’s farm in Millbrook; and two cows stayed at Shunpike Dairy in Millbrook. Along with the returning animals, the Miller family had 10 of their cows already on the farm as well as two cows that belonged to friends of the family.

Using the new pipeline milking equipment, the Miller family began milking the cows in the new barn on Thursday, Aug. 1, and by Wednesday, Sept. 4, Millerhurst Farm shipped its first load of milk to Ronnybrook Farm.

As for the new barn at Millerhurst Farm, the structure has been designed with a higher ceiling, LED lighting, tunnel ventilation and a rubber floor walkway for the cows’ comfort. Rather than introduce newer technology into the barn, Mike has opted to stick with “the old fashioned way” of milking his cows as “my cattle deserve human interaction.” 

For the milking operations, the cows currently live in what’s known as a tie stall barn, which means they stay in individual stalls inside the barn for 18 hours out of the day.

Yet for all of the work that has been accomplished so far, “there are a lot of little loose ends that have yet to be tied,” Mike remarked, citing minor plumbing work, minor electrical work, landscaping and heating the barn’s office space and utility room as examples.

“But nothing major,” his wife, Emily, added. “We’re shipping milk; that’s what counts.”

To date, Millerhurst Farm currently has 30 cows that are giving milk and between 17 and 18 calves that are under the age of one.

While the majority of the cows appear happy to be back on the farm in Ancramdale, Mike noticed a few of them, particularly the ones that have been on Lo-Nan Farms since November, seemed tentative about their return. By Thursday, Sept. 10, Millerhurst Farm welcomed the last of the cows back to the barn.

Along with its plans to resume shipping milk out to Ronnybrook Farm, Millerhurst Farm is currently working on getting the necessary certification to sell milk. According to a recent update released by the Miller family, Millerhurst Farm has also created a large plaque with the names of its sponsors to be hung in the new barn for visitors to see.