One of the many cows Rohe Farms auctioned off Saturday
100 years of tradition came to an end Saturday.
Rohe Farms on Onondaga Hill has been a staple in Central New York dairy farming. Today the farm auctioned off nearly its entire herd of 130 cows.
Owner Steve Rohe is trying to find the bright side.
"It's been a lot of emotions, all different ways, and I guess they're for the good," Rohe says. "It gives me an opportunity to try something else."
The farm is closing because dairy farming wasn't profitable anymore.
Local farmers say they are currently being paid $13 per hundredweight (CWT) of milk. But it costs them $17 to produce that hundredweight..
According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, 35% of dairy farms nationwide have gotten out of the business since 2003.
It's a disturbing trend that dairy farmers are well aware of. Fellow farmers say whenever a farm closes, it's a sad day.
"It's not a good feeling to watch your friends sell their cows and be faced with the uncertainty of changing their professions," says Kelly Driver-Haynes, who owns a farm in Tully. "We've all been in this together."
The Rohe family says they will sell corn and hay as a cash crop for now, and may get into agriculture in the future.
Rohe Farms made over $200,000 at Saturday's auction, but it's little solace for a family that can no longer do what it loves.
"It's tough to find a job that you can love as much because it's something that's been in your family," Steve Rohe says. "It means a lot to our family, we're proud to say we're to say we're Rohes."
