April 6, 2018 at 1:53 p.m.
Farm family tied to the land
"I liked chasing the cows," said the 28-year-old. "My brother and I would go play in the brook or on the hills. We always had something to do."
Now, among the cows he once chased and over the hills he once ran, Mike carries on the family tradition of farming. His father Terrance is pleased to have his son on the farm.
"My grandfather purchased this farm 77 years ago," Mr. Hoag said. "Mike is the fourth generation to farm here." The Hoags are parishioners of Immaculate Conception Church in Hoosick Falls.
Farm life
For the elder Hoag, there are many benefits to life on the farm. "There's an immense amount of pride," he said. "There's pride in ownership, pride in watching a calf grow into a quality cow or planting a successful crop. All our kids live on the same road; we've been able to keep our family closer together."His wife Judy agrees that for raising a family, life on the farm has its advantages. "We work seven days a week, long hours," she said. "But we were able to raise our kids and watch them grow."
The Hoag family, in addition to Mike, includes Mark, 26; Marla, 18; and Meredeth, 14.
Daily chores
On a typical day, the Hoags work 10 to 12 hours. Milking begins at 6:15 a.m. and continues until 10:30 a.m. Then breakfast is served. After breakfast, the barns are cleaned. From April until November, the field crops are tended to during the day, followed by chores and evening milking."We're done between 10 and 11 at night," Terry said.
Mrs. Hoag's day, while just as long, is filled with different responsibilities. She wakes up earlier than her husband and son in order to get the milk house ready. Then she is responsible for feeding 25 calves by pail, three by bottle, and two dozen more with a mixture of hay and grain.
"It takes me as long as it takes them to milk," she said. "The calves are like children. They have different personalities."
Farm wife
Once the animal feeding is done, Mrs. Hoag makes breakfast for her family. The rest of the day is filled with keeping the books for the farm, and running to get parts for farm equipment or medicine for the animals.At 4 p.m., she returns to feed the calves again. All the while, she squeezes in household chores, maintaining her garden and raising her two teenage daughters. Five days a week, she watches her three-year-old granddaughter, the child of her son Mark and his wife.
"The hours are taxing," she said.
Farm-ily life
While her husband won't dispute that the hours are long, he said that working 10 hours on the farm is different from 10 hours in an office."One of the advantages of farming is you're busy, but you're together," he said. "There's more family unity."
The couple is looking forward to their first break from the farm in 13 years. Since the farm chores must be tended to, it is nearly impossible for the couple to have an evening out together, let alone a vacation. In the fall, however, the couple has plans to go away for four days.
Different life
The couple has found that farm living has given them more control over what their children do. "Our kids aren't exposed to as much," Mr. Hoag said. "We have a little more control."Growing up on the farm kept him sheltered. Although he was a teenager in the '60s, he said, "I never once knew kids who were taking drugs. The '60s were supposed to be a wild time."
His wife added, "It took a long time to get to Hoosick Falls."
While there are advantages to farm life, the couple admits it has its disadvantages, too. There are fewer activities available for children. Little League wasn't an option, and they couldn't just walk to town to go to the library or skating rink.
Tradition
Despite such drawbacks, the couple hopes their children can raise their own families on the farm. Mark and his family live on the farm, but he works for Troy-Belting and Supply Co. He enjoys working on farm equipment, but the family farm doesn't have enough equipment to keep him busy full time.Oldest daughter Marla is off to college in the fall. She will study pre-veterinary science at the State University of New York at Oneonta. Meredeth will remain at home for a few more years.
When asked if he'd like his children to continue to work on the farm, Mr. Hoag said, "You hope so. But with economic trends, you don't know."
Mrs. Hoag said it can be difficult for someone raised on a farm to find a mate. "It's hard to find someone who accepts farm life," she said. "We don't pull up stakes and leave. I grew up on a farm in Schaghticoke. I knew what I was getting into."
Dairy farm
Hoacre Farms, the name of their 365-acre family farm, is home to 105 milking age cows and 105 young stock. Each cow produces 100 pounds of milk a day (eight pounds of milk equals one gallon).Milk production can be affected by many things, including the weather. When it's warm, cows tend to eat less, which reduces their output. "I'm very discouraged this summer," Mr. Hoag said.
Production is also affected by genetics and the quality of feed. The Hoags grow hay, alfalfa and corn to feed the cows. The better quality of crop, the less expense the farm incurs for feeding. If the nutrient value of the crops is poor, costly supplements must be added. Visits from a nutritionist help the Hoags know what proportions to feed.
"There's a lot more to dairy farming than people think there is," Mrs. Hoag said.
Milking
The process of milking has changed over the years. Although Mr. Hoag has been hand-milking cows since he was nine, machinery is now used. The milk is pumped into a tank and cooled to 38 degrees. It is then picked up by a tank truck each day.The Hoags' farm belongs to a dairy cooperative. Milk from the farm is made into cheese, cottage cheese and ice cream. "The majority of it goes to New England," Mr. Hoag said. "It's a better paying market."
Farming is a challenging way to make a living, the Hoags said. In order to compete, farms must get bigger. "When I first started, I made a living with 45 cows," Mr. Hoag said. "Now, we're not making as much with 100."
The average dairy farmer, he said, owes $2,000 for each cow he owns. "You learn to live with that debt," he added.
Balancing size
The current size of the farm allows the Hoags to know each animal. "We can trace our cows for generations," Mrs. Hoag said. "If you get bigger, you lose that."The size of the farm is a challenge for Mike. "We're bigger than we want to be," he said. "It's not worth it to get big. With big industry, people become numbers. The same thing is true with cattle."
Another challenge for dairy farmers is the market. "For us to make a decent living, someone has to be hungry," Mr. Hoag said. "That's sad."
Nutrition
In recent times, dairy products have received negative publicity. People concerned about fat and cholesterol consumption have reduced the amount of cheese, butter, cream and whole milk they consume.Dairy products, like other foods, can be enjoyed in moderation, Mrs. Hoag said. "There's no better direct route to get calcium than from milk," she added. "There isn't any food that someone doesn't say, 'It's not good for you' at some point."
The family has a history of longevity, Mrs. Hoag said, and they consume only real butter and drink milk fresh from their cows.
Elemental
A constant concern of farmers is the weather. "Being dependent on the weather, you're closer to God," Mr. Hoag said. "We all complain that it's too dry, too cold or too wet. But we're dependent on Him every day."This summer's extreme heat and lack of rainfall has caused problems for many farmers. While concerned, the Hoags think they'll be okay.
"We're on the dry side," Mr. Hoag said, "but I'm relatively pleased with the crops. It's dry, but it's liveable. Two years ago, I was scared."
That drought negatively impacted the farm's corn crop. Another local farmer stepped in with an offer of corn that allowed them to feed their cattle, Mr. Hoag said.
Tornado
The farm was also a victim to last year's tornado. The silo tops were blown off, one of the barns blew into the road, the roof of one of the houses was torn off, the barn windows were blown out, and two large maples were pulled out of the ground."We were lucky," Mr. Hoag said. "No one was hurt." But the family didn't find out until after the tornado that the house, shared by Mike and Mark, was not covered by insurance.
"The tornado hit us on a Sunday," Mrs. Hoag said. "The following Saturday, so many people showed up to fix the roof, clean up the trees and the barns."
In addition, a nearby diner that had its power restored delivered food to the family as they were recovering.
Thankful
The generosity of the community was overwhelming. "There's a lot of good people out there," Mr. Hoag said.His wife agreed. "There are a lot of people we think a lot of," she said. "We're self-sufficient people. It's hard to open up to help like that. The tornado made us realize how many good people there are."
Although nature can cause havoc on the farm, it can also serve as a daily reminder of God's presence. Whether it's the beauty of the farm as the leaves change color in the fall or the birth of a calf, the Hoags are appreciative of God's work.
"We see the full circle of life from conception to death," Mrs. Hoag said. "One thing about farm kids is they have a better handle on the cycle of life."
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