3 Centuries and 11 Generations of Family Farming

More than 300 years ago, Dan Casler’s ancestors settled in the Mohawk Valley of New York. Their home and farm remain, and 11 generations have farmed that sacred piece of land. That is not about to change.

Today, milk from the family's 110 organic cows goes into Organic Valley Grassmilk® milk — protein-rich milk that comes from cows that eat grass, just grass — like it was 300 years ago.

The Casler family enjoys farming for countless reasons, and you’re one of them!

Caring for the land and animals in a sustainable way is just as important to the Casler family as providing nourishing organic dairy — for you and for themselves. The family eats homegrown veggies and meat and wants others to have access to nutritious food, including organic milk.

Dan may be milk’s biggest advocate and says he cannot get enough. He drinks a gallon a day. (Organic Valley appreciates your support for small organic family farms, but don’t try this at home!)

The family also values the ripple effect farming has on the local economy. Farmers spend money locally and that can help create vibrant communities. In fact, the early Caslers were involved in commerce beyond farming.

Casler Road in a nearby city is a nod to a family business where fine furniture and other goods were crafted beginning in the late 1800s. And Dan’s great-grandfather was a cheese broker at the height of the cheesemaking days, around 1860. The town was a price-setting market for cheese — around the globe!

However, a vibrant community may simply mean the small-town bank, gas station and hardware store remain open, and a local café is still a place where neighbors can have a cup of coffee and chat about the weather.

Ensuring a Farm for Generation No. 11

Dan moved his farm over the hill from the original place his ancestors settled in the 1720s. There are certainly changes. A highway now runs down the middle of the farm, and the intricacies of transitioning a farm to a new owner have drastically changed over three centuries. Dan and Karen Casler are working out details so their son Jeremiah can have full ownership as Dan exits the farm in five years.

Well, he really won’t leave. He is grateful to be in a profession that allows him to care for the earth, his family and animals all while providing delicious food for consumers. Simply put, “I love it,” he said, adding he will continue taking on the tasks necessary to run an organic farm even if he is not the owner. 

Karen is a schoolteacher and takes care of accounting and finances for the farm. Jeremiah and his brothers Jesse and Samuel have always helped on the farm, to different degrees. Jeremiah is the one who found farm life his true calling.

He always enjoyed farming with his father but got a degree in biology and chemistry from the State University of New York. He felt he needed a backup, and he wanted to experience life off the farm before “he was home for 100 years.” Farmers often have little free time to spend away from the farm — cows need to be milked, fed and cared for every day.

“I don’t feel like I go to work. It’s more of a life. I know what I have to get done every day, which is about a third of what I can,” Jeremiah joked.

He and his wife Meghan have two girls, ages 1 and 3, and he appreciates that he can balance family while taking on a career he enjoys. He also likes the sense of accomplishment that comes with farming.

“I enjoy being outside doing what I want every day,” he added.

Dan enjoys working with his sons. He says they are not afraid to try new things, particularly Jeremiah, as he works to better the farm that will one day be his.

“I taught him everything I know, and I must have done a pretty good job because he knows more than I do!” Dan chuckled.

Enough Chit Chat; Get to Work

Here is how a recent day on the farm progressed. Cows were milked and about ready to head to pasture. Shortly after Jesse fixed a blown-out tire on a wagon, Dan and Jeremiah were itching to get hay mowed as the sky clouded over and sprinkles began to fall. You see, they need to stock up on as much hay for the cold winter months when pasture is covered in snow, and cows depend on it.

All Organic Valley cows are grassfed and cows that produce milk for Grassmilk® products, like the Casler’s, do not receive corn, soy, or other grains ... ever. The cows may receive nutritional supplements if needed, like molasses and minerals, but it’s a very small amount. Humans began feeding cows grain on a large scale around the 1950s. Before that, cattle were primarily raised on pasture and forage. The rise of industrial agriculture began the shift toward feeding cows grain on many farms.

So, on that June day the Caslers needed to get moving to stock up the barn with winter food. And in a collaborative rhythm, father and sons headed to the tractors and fields to get the work done. Cows munched on timothy, brome, clover and trefoil in a nearby pasture, oblivious to the fact their caretakers were off to ensure a full “pantry” for the winter ahead.

Maybe They Aren’t Cuckoo

The Caslers are just one of more than 1,600 small organic family farms striving for a better earth. Since the co-op's beginning in 1988, Organic Valley farmers have kept approximately 622 million pounds of chemicals kept off the land.

When Dan met some of the cooperative’s founding farmers at a meeting in the ’90s, he thought they were “cuckoo,” just another organization trying to save family farms through more unobtainable idealistic methods.

In the 1980s, during a time when farmers were pressured to “go big or get out,” a group of like-minded Wisconsinites came together with a shared vision. They founded Organic Valley cooperative. The co-op provided a way to make a sustainable living while protecting the earth through organic farming.

Dan had known about Organic Valley since the early ʼ90s, because he was (and continues to be) a National Farmers Organization Board member

“I thought they were reinventing the wheel,” he said of the co-op's founders. “I thought it was too good to be true."

But the more Dan learned and understood the cooperative structure where farmers are the decision-makers, he was interested.

“The co-op's founders were right in their thinking. They took farmers’ destiny in their own hands and chartered a brighter future.”

The Organic Way

Dan transitioned his farm to organic in 2006, and the rules to become certified organic are precise. However, it wasn’t a major transition for him, as he always farmed in a sustainable way.

"Organic farming and being a member of the best organic co-op has led to our farm being attractive to my sons. That's the beauty of our co-op in providing a sustainable future,” Dan said.

Organic is a label that indicates that a food or agricultural product has been produced, according to the USDA organic standards, which require operations to use practices that cycle resources, conserve biodiversity and preserve ecological balance. 

“I have bought into the whole philosophy. It’s not always economics. Organic means better soil health, better crops and better products from the cows,” Dan said as bees and butterflies landed on blossoms surrounding him in the field.

His farm exudes a natural experience, with cows grazing in the pastures — no buildings in sight. Of course, there are modern amenities to make sure the cows are comfortable and have the essentials.

In the past, the family had to haul water to the pasture so the cows could drink. Recently, Dan partnered with the local Soil and Water Conservation District and the Farm Service Agency to secure a grant through the Natural Resources Conservation Service’s Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP). This funding supported a road project and installation of a waterline, making water access easier and enhancing both soil and water health.

The farm continues to evolve, with the new generation constantly thinking of innovative ways to upgrade and advance the farm.

Dan is all in when it comes to supporting farms and his community. He represented Organic Valley at Farm Aid, and the family has hosted dignitaries and universities at the farm. He serves his community as town supervisor, spent nearly two decades as a school board member and was a wrestling coach for 20 years.

And of course, he supports Organic Valley, the co-op he and 1,600 other farmers own and ship milk with. He is willing to share his farm story — a meaningful one to show people the importance of small family farms and the difference organic practices make. He represents Organic Valley at stores and other outlets.

"Being part of farmer-to-consumer outreach in stores is a great way to connect with our consumers,” he said. "I really enjoy these events and making those connections."

And he really took one for the team, along with some of his Organic Valley neighbors, in this video:

Organic Valley exists to safeguard family farms and with support from consumers like you, the Casler farm may still be in operation for three more centuries!

Thank you Casler family for all you do for people, animals and the planet.