It's National Agriculture Day, a time to recognize the hard work of farmers in our communities. Some of those farmers make sure shelves are stocked with dairy.

According to New York State Agriculture and Markets, there are almost 3,200 dairy farms in the state.

Hillside Dairy in Fabius is one such organic dairy farm.

What You Need To Know

  • New York Agriculture and Markets says dairy is the biggest agriculture sector in the state

  • Hillside Dairy is an organic farm that doesn't use pesticides, serves cows organic feed and lets cattle spend 120 days a year in pasture

  • March 19 is National Agriculture Day

“I missed being on the farm. I missed being around the cows,” said Julie Richardson, owner of Hillside Dairy.

Richardson grew up on a dairy farm. As an adult, she decided to pursue law as an agriculture attorney. But in 2016, when her family bought Hillside Dairy, she started spending more time around animals.

“It means a lot to me to be a part of agriculture in general. It means a lot to be part of an industry that provides food to people,” said Richardson.

Between Richardson and her siblings, there are 13 children in the family.

“One that is a senior in high school and we can get some good work out of him. The rest of them are pretty young and they don't work a lot yet. But they love to come to the farm,” said Richardson.

The dairy has a couple of new baby cows every month, and milk 120 adults daily.

“They all have very different personalities. You'll have one that's kind of the mean girl of the group and you'll have one that's the pet of the group,” said Richardson.

One of the most interesting parts of the farm is the robotic milker. Cows walk in any time and get milked while snacking on grain. A special collar prevents them from coming through the robot too often.

“Food doesn't start at the grocery store shelves ... it starts from a farm operation,” said Richardson.

Hillside Dairy is an organic farm that doesn't use pesticides and serves cows organic feed. Cattle spend 120 days a year in pasture.

“Everything we do is because we want to make a healthy product. It's what we feed to our own families. And to do that, we really care for our animals,” said Richardson.

New York Agriculture and Markets says dairy is the biggest agriculture sector in the state. According to the USDA, in New York State, 4% of dairy farms with female producers are farmed organically.