In the past, passing down a farm from one generation to the next often happened without much conversation. It was a silent expectation, with many farms simply expanding by adding lean-tos or another barn, along with more milk cows to support the growing family. However, today the formula requires robust conversation and strategic planning to financially integrate another family member into the business. Two farmers from opposite ends of the country share their stories of succession and offer advice to the next generation of producers.
From Potatoes to Dairy
From an early age, a deep love of agriculture was sparked by machinery intrigued Paxton Robinson, a dairy farmer from Oakley, Idaho.
“I’ve always felt like if you had a terrible day, you could still find something that went right living and working on a farm,” Paxton, who represents the sixth generation of farmers and second generation of dairy in his family, says. More than two decades ago, the Robinson family made the life-changing decision to build a dairy. This decision was significantly influenced by the interest and passion shown by two of their sons, Nick and Paxton, in returning to the family farm. The shift from a potato-centric operation to dairy farming didn’t happen overnight; it was a gradual transition aimed at strategically utilizing their acres to grow feed for their cows.
“As we were phasing out, we were growing 1,000 acres of potatoes,” Paxton explains. “You cannot buy feed in our area, or it comes at an extreme cost as we are competing with so many other industries—potato and sugar beets especially, and some very large dairies,” he says.
Today, the Robinson’s entire 5,000-acre crop production now serves to feed their herd of approximately 6,000 milk cows, which extends to 11,000 when factoring in young stock and dry cows.
Transition and Challenges
The family’s transition from potato farming to dairy farming came primarily out of necessity. As agricultural markets fluctuated, the Robinsons saw an opportunity to adapt and diversify their operations. Growing feed for their cows on their land allowed them to control costs and ensure the quality of the feed, which is crucial in maintaining a healthy herd.
“Competing with other major agriculture sectors for feed can be incredibly costly and hard to secure,” Paxton explains, noting that growing their own feed was a more sustainable and cost-effective solution, aligning with their long-term vision for their farm.
Today, the Robinson’s dairy is completely integrated, as the family co-owns High Desert Milk, a processing plant, with three other dairy producers. Built in 2008, this plant processes milk into powdered milk, butter, and recently, cream cheese.
While Paxton knew early on that farming was what he wanted to do, his parents encouraged him to further his education and after graduating from Utah State with an ag business degree he came back to the dairy. Today, he owns and operates the dairy with his older brother, Nick, and their father, Randy. Paxton manages the farm, employees, and equipment, while Nick focuses on the milking herd and feed procurement. This division of labor highlights the significance of both practical and operational knowledge to ensure the farm functions optimally.
“In the last 24 years, we’ve grown from milking 1,500-plus cows to 6,000 head,” he shares, noting the fast-paced adoption to growth.
No Sugarcoating
Paxton says he loves going home knowing that he got a lot done and can see the fruits of his labor. Although, he won’t sugarcoat that owning and operating a dairy isn’t for the faint of hearts.
“You have to be progressive and be super motivated to really make it,” he says, sharing that it is hard to teach motivation. “You must be born with a desire to be successful. A lot of these younger generations come back thinking they are going to be the boss. That is not really how it goes. They need to come back and start from the bottom and work their way to the top. Truthfully, it is hard enough to find good employees, I would say it is even harder to find people in the industry that have kids that want to come back and are truly willing to work hard.”
Paxton says that this especially holds true in larger operations, and it is hard to find someone who is willing to get their hands dirty.
“They must be able to get their boots dirty,” he says. “If you want to be respected by the employees, you must be willing to work alongside them.”
Nick came back to the family operation right after college to run the newly built dairy. He had experience working in construction. There are also two other brothers that did not have an interest in the family business, and they went and did other things.
“For us, to transition the dairy from my father to me and Nick was kind of easy because we had interest from the get-go,” Paxton says, sharing that both he and Nick have children and so the conversation for the next generation to come back will include the same motto: get some kind of education or training and work for someone else first and the same opportunity to work on the family farm can be there.
“My brother’s oldest boy is 21 and this summer he is learning manual labor,” Paxton shares. “This way he can make a conscientious decision about coming back to the operation. We are not going to raise lazy kids. We already have enough issues; we don’t need to entice laziness.”
Working for someone else first is essential, Paxton says, even if it’s just a summer internship.
“To be a good boss you have to have been bossed,” he says. “You have to be able to take orders and to be criticized so that you’ll know how to be in that role someday.”
Paxton doesn’t sugarcoat the difficulty of being a dairy farmer – and that message is clearly communicated to the next generation.
“I want the next generation to know that a lot of days can be mentally hard,” he says. “And, the reason you come back isn’t because ‘it’s the easy route,’ it’s because you have to really have a passion for what you do.”
Reflecting on Generational Opportunities
Head east, and you’ll find Pennsylvania dairy farmer, Luke Brubaker, the 2014 Top Producer award winner who works alongside two of his sons and one grandson. Brubaker shares that he and his family have been blessed with opportunities and says their success is not completely built off of good fortune, as they have faced many challenges. This includes a barn fire that completely destroyed their 1,200-head hog unit in 1999. Although, this setback forced Brubaker and his sons to focus on the dairy and make it a true profit center.
The Mt. Joy, Pa., farmer shares their succession plan early on wasn’t the most efficient. He recalls adding lean-tos to his barn and making room for additions to accommodate additional cattle.
“I didn’t’ realize it at the time, but I was actually becoming more inefficient. We were at a point where we couldn’t keep doing what we were doing; we needed to stop or grow and modernize,” the seasoned farmer admits.
The Modern Brubaker Operation
Fast forwarded to today, and the Brubaker family’s dairy operation is a modern sight. The family now milks 1,400 head of cattle, farms thousand acres plus, along with two poultry barns which is a testament to their willingness to embrace change and innovation. Their journey to this point stemmed from their ability to continually evolve to meet the challenges of modern agriculture while seizing opportunities for growth.
Luke Brubaker’s smile widens when he talks about his sons, Mike and Tony, who came back to the family’s Pennsylvania dairy operation when they finished college in the mid-90’s. Despite both having promising careers ahead of them, both chose to return to their roots and continue the farming legacy. With open minds and hearts, their decision ushered in a new era on the family farm.
Tony says his parents embraced change and brought a very positive, can-do attitude to the farm.
“Even if it meant leveraging their equity to expand our future,” Tony explains. “They were smart risk takers, as dad was fairly aggressive on running and growing land base.”
This decision to carry on the family legacy exemplifies the family’s values of allowing each member to find their path while ensuring they are well-prepared for the responsibilities ahead.
The farm business transition didn’t happen overnight, but a lot of open communication unfolded and in 2014, they changed their business structure to an LLC and generated a flexible business model that not only allowed Tony and Mike to become owners, but kept an open mind for the next generation, too.
“Really, estate plan and transition plan need to work simultaneously,” Tony says.
Listening to the Younger Generation
Soon after the boys came back, Brubaker listened to his sons’ ambition to double their herd size to 400 head. The herd quickly grew, and the family purchased a neighboring dairy farm a decade ago and built a second milking parlor to accommodate for the growth.
Brubaker says transferring the farm to his sons was the best thing he could have done.
“They took to it right away,” he says. “They followed our family’s passion for farming.”
Although before the transfer of ownership and when his sons decided they wanted to come back and work on the farm, Brubaker emphasized the importance of ensuring it was the right move for them.
“So, between college summers, I told them if they were going to come back to the farm, then they had to do everything from breeding the cows to tractor work to cow management to feeding cows,” he says. “They needed to know what they were getting into. And, they have been such an asset to the farm.”
In 2020, Brubaker’s grandson, Josh graduated from Penn State and bought into the family farm as a 20% co-owner. Brubaker couldn’t have been prouder to have another generation following in his footsteps but says it’s crucial to have a passion for whatever they want to do in life.
“That is where success lies, and we have been blessed. God has blessed my family with many opportunities to buy additional farms and to do this together,” he says. “There was never a time that we couldn’t work out a disagreement. We have fun working together.”
Brubaker also notes that a significant element of their success is his sons’ willingness to take risks and their exceptional communication skills.
“It is key to keep moving ahead and pray for wisdom to stay ahead of it all,” he says. “We have great employees, and it is important to work with people who are smarter than us to stay ahead of the game,” he says.
When it comes to passing on advice to others who have a next generation interested in the family farm, Brubaker encourages to have the conversation sooner rather than later.
“Make decisions and preparations for the rest of your family as soon as you can. You can’t push this conversation because it is uncomfortable off for another day,” he says, sharing that financial advisors are essential to help figure out how it all fits together.
The journey into the future of agriculture is seldom straightforward. Both family dairies share that transparent communication, meticulous planning and a deep passion for agriculture are not only cornerstones to their success, but also inspire the next generation to follow in their footsteps.
