A Dairy Decision Based on Efficiency and Sustainability
Grayhouse Farms’ decision to build a new dairy was not one that was taken lightly. They first toured other farms, doing their research on what design would best suit them. This led to brothers Jimmy and Andy Gray building a brand-new dairy five years ago with conservation and efficiency in mind. Factor in the dozens of water and soil conservation practices implemented on the Stony Point, N.C. dairy and it’s easy to see why Grayhouse Farms was awarded a 2022 U.S. Dairy Sustainability award.
All Around Efficiencies
In 1966, Reid and Peggy Gray left Reid’s Family Partnership and moved to a leased facility. Two years later they built a small parlor on their property. In the mid-70’s a larger dairy was built on the same property, and they began with 150 cows. Over the years the herd grew to more than 350 cows by 2016. By that time, their sons Jimmy and Andy were the managing partners.
In 2017, the Gray family built two new freestall barns. The family also built a 2-mile road to reduce the distance between the old and new facility, as well as the fields they farm. The benefit of that decision alone has sustainability written all over it, reducing traffic with equipment and trucks and using less fuel.
“The increased safety of our employees and increased safety of the public from not having to go around the equipment on public roads is also a huge benefit,” Jimmy says.
Grayhouse Farms currently milks 1,100 cows and each cow lies down in sand bedding, which Jimmy says was the best decision.
“Sand bedding is a sustainable practice,” he says. “We reuse that sand over and over again. Plus, the cows love laying in the stalls.”
Continuing with the productivity motto, the Grays installed LED lighting, timed sprinklers and energy-efficient fans in each of their barns. Recycling repeatedly, all their barns have a flush manure and sand separation systems.
Land Practices
Grayhouse Farms raises 1,000 acres of corn, 750 acres of timber, along with 250 acres of pasture. Jimmy shares that nearly half of the corn ground is double cropped to make small-grain silage, while the other half gets put into cover crops.
The soil conservation practices can be seen in every field, whether that be seeding cover crops, or filter strips and each field is 100% no-till.
Grayhouse Farms has also worked with many organizations, including being participants in the USDA’s Conservation Reserve Program, Conservation Stewardship Program and Wildlife Habitat Incentive Program. Through their involvement, they’ve enhanced waterways and created wildlife habitat areas by implementing livestock exclusion fencing on all streams and created riparian buffers to filter out runoff and provided wildlife corridors along the streams.
Jimmy believes that being seen in the community as a leader is a must, especially as the disconnect grows larger between farms and the general public. The Gray family believes in community engagement—and is active with Farm Youth Days to talking to fairgoers at the State Fair.
“Farmers are the caretakers,” Jimmy says. “We need to set the good example in our communities and proactively tell our story to our fellow neighbors. It’s just the right thing to do.”
Humble, Jimmy Gray says he and his family are also blessed to be recognized for their sustainability efforts.
“The brotherhood of dairy farmers is tremendous. We’ve stolen so many good ideas from good dairymen,” he says. “So yes, it's a tremendous honor, but also a tremendous responsibility that we feel compelled to continue doing the right thing,” Jimmy says about receiving this award. “We are not perfect, and we are still learning.”
