Holsteins make up 80 percent of the herd, but he favors his 40 Guernseys. I grew up with Guernseys and they do have a better temperament than most cows, higher butter fat content in their milk, and are more efficient producers. Since 1991, we've doubled the size of our herd to around 200, but that's it. We've reached capacity. The farm provides gainful work for his family, but Kukowski doesn't expect it to continue beyond this generation.
Labor is in short supply here, and developers are encroaching on farmland.
Like many farmers faced with low prices for their product, he is making a hard decision to liquidate some assets. I sold a couple of lots to buy some cropland a few years ago, but will be selling more soon to use for debt reduction. With the current low prices, we need to minimize operating expenses. I want to reduce our debt load. Back to top of page.