For the Kerrick family in Savannah, NY, Brown Swiss is the breed.
“They’re good girls and such a fun breed,” said Jess Kerrick, who along with her husband Mike and their children raise Brown Swiss at their small farm, Bixby Wood Swiss.
The family has one milking Brown Swiss, two dry and “more heifers than we have a place for – up to eight total – and two Angus crosses, three pigs, 12 chickens and barn cats and a dog,” Kerrick said. “My littlest child is trying to convince us to get a horse.”
Raising animals is not a new venture for Kerrick, as she’s been doing so since she was 6 and in 4-H. Her children Cecilia, 7, and Daphne, 6, are both Cloverbuds following in their mom’s boot prints.
Kerrick described Cecilia as “the walking definition of tenacity.” The youngster participated in the Northeast All Breeds competition with a fall yearling at last year’s Seneca County Fair.
“It was the calf’s first show and Cecilia’s first show and it just worked,” Kerrick said.
Originally, she was to show a different calf this year; however, that calf had ringworm and Cecilia had to show her favorite calf from last year – the calf the girl wanted to show again this year. She won fourth in showmanship and landed in the middle of the pack in the type classes.
“She was so excited,” Kerrick said. “She worked her tail off.”
Daphne enjoyed her experience as well. “She’s still young enough that she just bops with her heifer,” Kerrick said. “She hasn’t gotten the confidence with showing yet. She has confidence everywhere else and will tackle any calf I want her to but in the ring, she clams up, so we’re working on that.”
Kerrick is pleased to see her children interested, as she feels that 4-H and showing has shaped her life. She gained many friends and life lessons through 4-H and “it teaches you how to be a compassionate, hard-working person,” Kerrick said. “The girls grew up with the animals. We knew pretty early they’d be natural with it. It would feel unnatural not to pass down the tradition.”
The Kerricks have about two acres and feed mostly hay. They bottle the milk their family needs and raise pigs on the extra. They sell their pig meat to family and friends to help cover feed costs for their Brown Swiss herd.
“My biggest thing for showing was to focus and stay calm and have a little faith in the work that you’ve put in,” Kerrick said. “It’s so easy to get overwhelmed, and if your animal acts up or you misstep, it’s so easy to get hard on yourself. It’s so important to remember how hard you worked to get to the ring. And of course, have fun.”
Kerrick works as the calf manager at Aurora Oakwood Dairy in Auburn. Mike is the feed manager at the same farm.
“They’re very supportive; I can be a mom and calf manager,” Kerrick said. “The kids spend most of their summer in the feed truck or with the calves. In school breaks, they’re there.”
She hopes the family can acquire more land so they can expand the farm.
“I’d like to produce cows I’m proud of that are competitive showing,” she said. “Eventually, it would be nice to get something marketable, which is hard since you have only a handful. The dream is an All-American. The first cow my parents bought me was accidentally an All-American and I’ve been chasing that high for the last 30 years.”
