Armson Farms of Pavilion, NY

Armson Farms was purchased in 1942 by Austin Roy Milligan, who went by Jack. At that time, the farm was milking a small herd of 60 cows in an old tie-stall barn that still stands at the farm’s current location. Jack and wife, Arleen, raised six children on the farm. Two of the boys, Bob and Don, later took over the ownership and operations of the family’s dairy.

Today, the 4th generation dairy farm is owned and operated by Bob, his wife Karen, and two of their sons, Todd, and Jack Milligan. The farm milks 730 Holstein cows and works 1,800 acres of alfalfa hay, corn, wheat, and triticale annually to feed their cattle.

Armson Farms strives to continuously improve the genetics that impact the health and milk production of their herd. The majority of the milking herd are black and white Holsteins, that on average produce 94lbs of milk/day. That is more than 10 gallons of milk every day from each cow!!!

One of the current farm partners, Jack Milligan, explains that their farm is breeding their cattle with the goal to produce higher milk components which includes milk fat and protein. “It makes me happy to walk into our barns and see healthy and high producing cows that look good too,” says Jack. He adds, “we select bulls (to breed our cows to) based on their individual health traits to try to improve the future generations of animals on our farm.” 

The goal at Armson Farms is to produce milk efficiently with the health of their herd as a top priority! The cows are milked in a double twenty DeLaval Champion parlor at Armson. This means there are 40 cows being milked at one time in the milking parlor. 

“The quality of milk is so important on dairy farms and most farmers are looking to improve the quality of milk that leaves their farm,” says Jack.

There are many factors that go into ensuring that the milk being shipped from a farm is safe, healthy, and of the highest quality. Some of those factors at Armson Farms include providing their cattle with sand bedding and maintaining a very clean working environment for their cattle and their employees. Sand bedding is extremely comfortable for the cows and it doesn’t harbor bacteria which results in fewer health issues; healthy cows produce healthy milk! Armson Farms has been recognized by DFA (a farmer owned milk cooperative) for producing high quality milk. 

The farm takes pride in providing consumers with high-quality dairy products by going above and beyond when it comes to farm cleanliness. It is very important to all of the farm owners, Bob, Karen, Jack, and Todd that the farm be visually appealing and clean for those who drive by or stop in. Jack explains, “We want those not associated directly with farm life to like driving by and seeing our operation… We want people to know that dairy farmers work hard to produce the best product that we can while dealing with new regulations and the changes happening in the industry.”