Archives: Farmer Focus

Tim Christiansen is a farmer-member of Upstate Niagara, and Second Vice Chair of the 2020 Young Cooperators Advisory Council. Together with his dad, brother and cousin, he operates Townridge Farms LLC in Penn Yan, New York. The farm currently milks 150 Holsteins and farms 1200 acres.

Chad Voelker is a farmer-member of Prairie Farms, and member of the 2020 YC Advisory Council. Together with his brothers and mother, he operates Voelker Swiss Farm LLC in Perryville, Missouri. The farm currently milks 190 registered Brown Swiss and farms 450 acres.

James Weber reopened his family’s farm, Weber Family Dairy, in 2015 where he currently milks 120 cows and farms 800 acres. He is a member of Michigan Milk Producers Association and will serve as Chair of the National Young Cooperators Program in 2020.

Leon, his wife, Linda and their daughter, Abbie, farm in the foothills of the Green Mountains in Whitingham, Vermont on land that has been in the family since 1868. The Corse family operates a 60-cow organic dairy and are AgriMark co-op members. Leon’s favorite thing about being a dairy farmer is milking the cows in the early morning. “It is just me and the cows,” he says. “There is no one else around and whatever challenges the day may bring have not surfaced yet.”

Corse Family Farm recently celebrated their 150-year anniversary with an open house, hosting over 350 people for hay rides, farm tours, ice cream and more!

Clint and Brooke Gladden, along with Clint’s older brother Josh Gladden and wife Heidi, are a 4^th generation Arizona dairy farm located in Palo Verde, AZ, about 50 minutes west of Phoenix. They work with his father and mother, Dan and Sheri Gladden. Clint’s grandfather “retired” a few years ago. They milk 4,000 cows in two facilities and farm 2,500 acres feeding in to the dairy. Their current main facility, built in 1998, milks 3,000 cows in a 36×36 parallel parlor with a mixed herd of Holsteins, Jerseys, and Hojo crosses. Their other facility milks 1,000 cows in a 18×18 parallel parlor with a mixed herd also. They milk 2x daily, and are members of United Dairymen of Arizona.

Bob and Carrie DiCarlo reside in Canandaigua, New York, with their 2 children:  Nora and Ian.  Bob is a non-family partner with John Knopf at Fa-Ba Farm.  They milk 500 Holsteins and raise 390 heifers.  The farm grows its own forages and purchases its grain.   They are members of Upstate Niagara Cooperative.