Downsizing to Preserve the Family Farm
Kent Miller, owner of Plato Dale Farm in Arcade, NY, wanted to convert a 2000-acre dairy farm that had been in his family for generations into a smaller farm with an emphasis on sustainable methods. A stream running through the property known as Plato Brook inspired the name. It carves a dale out of the valley where the farm stands.
“The family history isn’t fully documented,” Miller says, “but we surmise Moses Twiss bought the farm around 1820 from The Holland Land Company.” Twiss, Miller’s ancestor and a Revolutionary War officer, moved to Arcade shortly after the war to farm.
Miller took over the family dairy farm from his father, who had inherited it from his grandfather, Carl Miller. The farm was in bad shape, but Miller felt there was demand for sustainably grown products, moving from a commodity dairy farm where he felt they could not compete to a pastured farm with good infrastructure. He sold off nearly 1800 acres and 1500 milking cows, thus converting it into a smaller farm he could manage successfully using regenerative agriculture practices. Downsizing the farm made it possible for him to stay afloat.
Today, Plato Dale Farm is a thriving, diverse farm. Miller recently bought back 300 acres of the original farm, including the original farmhouse and 30 acres of what he calls “good gravel ground, the best for growing vegetables.” His dream of raising a herd of grass-fed Jersey cows for beef, a flock of chickens and farming organically-grown vegetables is a reality.
Cows are an important part of the Miller family history. “It’s very unusual to use Jersey cows for beef. Most suppliers want a cow that yields a higher volume,” Miller says. “It takes a long time to grow our cows—almost four years until they go to market. That gives beef time to develop flavor. Our cows eat clover and cool-season grasses. The type of feed a cow eats affects the flavor of the meat.”
The farm’s Jersey steers and calves feed on native grass on pasture land in summer months. In winter, the herd has access to a barn with composting bedded pack, quality hay and a salt lick. Next year, Miller plans to cross Devon with Jersey cows for beef.
Chickens at Plato Dale Farm feed on certified organic grains from Lakeview Organic Grain in Penn Yan, NY, which is guaranteed not to contain additives, antibiotics or pesticides. Miller’s breed chickens—all Cornish Crosses—feed on chicken pasture where they have access to fresh, green pasture every day.
He also raises a brood of 300 hens that lay eggs for 75 weeks. They’re slaughtered to use as stew chickens when productivity wanes.
Miller offers a creative solution to patrons and restaurants wanting high-quality beef and chicken. His beef and chicken boxes are sold via the farm’s website and can be delivered or shipped anywhere in the U.S.
The farm harvests over 60 varieties of vegetables. Half of its harvest is committed to a long list of local restaurants who favor the produce for its quality and uniqueness.
In spring, Miller plants several varieties of lettuce: little gem, romaine, butter, oak and sweet crisp, and a wide variety of greens, early vegetables and herbs. Summer yields include Napa cabbage, purslane, endive, beets, carrots, cucumbers, kohlrabi, sweet corn, tomato, zucchini and summer squash plus a full roster of savory herbs. Late summer harvests of Italian eggplant, peppers, potatoes, shallots, onions, celeriac, rutabaga and winter squash allow Miller to provide fresh produce to two local farmers’ markets and select restaurants in and around Buffalo.
Miller introduced at least three new offerings in 2018 in response to requests by chefs for ever more unusual vegetables.
“Restaurants are asking us to be more creative,” he explains. “A Badger Flame Beet with no bitter taste that can be eaten like a carrot from Row 7 Seed Company is one of our new offerings. Snow peas that hold their deep purple color even when cooked and pinto potato, a creamy-textured fingerling-style red and white potato that looks like a pinto bean, are just the latest.”
Plato Dale Farm also offers a “market share” similar to a CSA. Market share allows patrons to pre-pay for produce at regional farmers’ markets including Williamsville Farmers’ Market and Elmwood Bidwell Farmers’ Market and at select outlets. The farm’s produce is listed online like a CSA with harvest dates for each crop. Participants get a weekly email with account balance. Market share helps the farm plan what to grow and where to make investments during winter months.
Miller says that small and organic farmers face many challenges including climate change and financial insecurity. Survival means being open to innovation.
“Every year, as climate warms, we see new pests,” Miller notes. “Army worms were a problem during a warm winter a few years ago. Some of the new bugs have no natural predators. In WNY, we grow certain crops that won’t grow in warmer regions. Greens and lettuce present a challenge when the cooler growing season is cut short. Last year, it was 90 degrees in September. The heat threatened spinach and broccoli. Then we had two feet of snow in the first week of November.”
Labor is another ongoing challenge to small farming. “Sustaining a farm requires employing people willing to work for less while expressing a commitment to good farm practices.”
Miller employs his mother, Janet, to help with the books; his father, with overall farm management; Hannah Prutsman, a cousin, to help with management; and his son, Justin. He hires a handful of farm hands each summer season. Friends also help in summer months with planting and harvesting.
According to Miller, transitional and organic farmers are a creative bunch, thinking “on the fly” as new challenges present themselves almost daily. Miller remains optimistic. “There is a future for small farms as new markets develop. Change presents opportunity,” he reasons.
“It’s always been challenging to make money farming,” he continues. “I’ve remained successful by utilizing resources I held after selling a seventh-generation farm. Farming is a tenuous life, even today, hard both physically and mentally.”
But Plato Dale Farm continues to build resilience. “We’re working on ways to grow more produce, to process enough meat to meet demand without compromising quality or the sustainability of our farm. Managing a sustainable farm is a balancing act, that’s for sure.”
