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Effective
December 1, 2007, Odd Duck Farm and the adjacent Thomas
Farm were designated as a Certified
Organic Dairy Farm. This completes a more than three year transition process. Milk will be marketed under the Stonyfield brand label. Organic beef, when available, will be marketed privately. Please use the e-mail form on this site to obtain more information on organic beef offerings.
Overlooking
the Hudson River to the west, with a distant view of the
monument commemorating the turning point of the American
Revolution, Odd Duck Farm is being positioned as one of
the premier Brown Swiss breeding farms in the northeast.
Spanning over 600 acres of pasture, agricultural fields,
streams and woods, Odd Duck Farm is aligned with The Thomas
Farm to the east and managed by Lloyd and Tammy Thomas.
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The
farm was a Washington
County
dairy and sheep farm for over 150 years. Located in Easton,
NY the farm
was purchased in 2002 by the Hedbring family and organized
under OESH, LLC d/b/a Odd Duck Farm. The decision to currently
invest and breed the Brown Swiss cow evolved from prior
visits to Switzerland
where the Braunvieh breed www.braunvieh.com
was observed with much interest and admiration.
The
Brown Swiss foundation herd was purchased on a highly selective
basis by Odd Duck Farm. The primary focus of the Farm is
to breed new calves through carefully managed genetic selection.
Some of the elite herd is shown annually and is available
for sale directly from Odd Duck Farm as well as through
periodic offerings at auctions. Male calves are offered
for sale as oxen or raised as steers. A few select bulls
will be available for sale as herd sires. The herd is targeted
to average 75 to 100 head.
Along
with the natural beauty of the land, Odd Duck Farm includes
three rental homes, a fully enclosed, well-ventilated 38
pen calf barn for newborn to yearlings. Depending on age,
size and weather, the Brown Swiss are moved to outside pastures
with another separate but adjacent barn where breeding age
heifers are artificially and naturally inseminated. When
heifers are confirmed pregnant they are moved to the "half-mile"
barn and pastures until one month prior to calving at which
time the heifers are relocated to The Thomas Farm. The cycle
continues with the new born calves being transferred to
the Odd Duck Farm calf barn and pastures.
Odd
Duck Farm is involved with the New York State Department
of Environmental Conservation Quality Deer Management Program.
The farm grows and sells top quality small square bales
of hay and alfalfa to many local dairy and horse farms.
It also has a well developed locust grove that is selectively
harvested for fence posts.
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