With 370 Holstein cows, Blake, Bruce, Vicki and Brittany Dempsey are partners in the second largest dairy farm in Delaware.

This feed wagon is like a giant mixer on wheels. It combines ingredients like hay, corn, silage, vitamins and minerals to create healthy meals for the cows. Each cow eats about 50 pounds of food each day.

As Miss Delaware, Brittany Dempsey has spent the past year encouraging people in Delaware to drink milk as part of a healthy lifestyle.

Each calf at Dempsey Farm lives in its own “calf condo,” which provides a comfortable, healthy environment. In addition to nutritious milk, calves always have access to fresh water and delicious food.

Dairy Reigns at Dempsey Farms

Farm Name: Dempsey Farms

Family: Alice Mae Dempsey; Bruce and Vicki Dempsey and children Blake and Brittany; Charlie and Cindy Dempsey and children Megan and Chad; Greg and Kelley Dempsey and children Greg and Amy

Location: Dover, Del.

Among the casinos and racetrack that have become synonymous with Dover, Del., lies Dempsey Farms, a dairy and 3,000-acre crop farm operated by three generations of the Dempsey family. It’s the second largest of the 50 dairy farms in Delaware.

The Dempsey brothers — Greg, Bruce and Charlie — operate the dairy that was founded in the 1930s with 20 cows by their grandfather. For the past 25 years, the brothers have been partners in the 370-cow dairy. Each one has an area of expertise: Greg is the mechanic of the group and keeps the equipment running; Charlie oversees the cropping; and Bruce takes care of the cows with the help of his son, Blake. Their mother, Alice Mae, remains an important part of the farm by being on-hand to help Charlie’s wife, Cindy, who is in charge of the farm’s financial management.

The Next Generation

The farm is in good hands with the next generation of Dempseys. Cousins Greg and Blake are learning all they can from their fathers and uncles about dairy farming so they can one day manage the farm. Blake, who majored in animal science at the University of Delaware, works with his father, Bruce, to take care of the cows. Blake oversees the twice-daily milkings and makes sure the cows are fed nutritious meals. Greg works side-by-side with his father, Greg, to maintain the farm machinery and complete the fieldwork. Megan and Chad, the youngest Dempseys, enjoy showing their Holstein heifers at local dairy shows. Amy is currently studying nursing at Edison College in Fort Myers, Fla.

Milking with Technology

Far from the days when cows were milked by hand, today’s modern dairy farms are equipped with tools commonly found in an office building.

“All of our milking equipment is computerized,” Bruce said. “We enter in the cow’s number and it (the computer) records how much milk she gives, which is one way we monitor the herd’s health.”

The computer system allows the Dempseys to track the amount of milk each cow produces during each of the two daily milkings. A drop in daily milk production may indicate the cow is sick. Bruce and Blake keep a close eye on the cows and treat any illnesses promptly. Just like humans, sometimes cows need antibiotics to get well.

Like a Good Neighbor

The Dempseys follow a strict nutrient management plan regulated by the Environmental Protection Agency. They only spread manure in the spring and fall and work the nutrients into the ground as soon as possible to minimize odors. “There are large housing developments on either side of our farm,” Bruce said. “We want to be good neighbors, so we try to do what we can to manage manure odors.”

“All of our manure and water run-off is contained,” Bruce said. “This not only protects the local waterways but allows us to efficiently spread dry manure.”

At Dempsey Farms, nutrient-rich manure is recycled as fertilizer to grow the next round of crops. Charlie and Greg plant and harvest 3,000 acres of crops, including corn, soybeans and wheat. The crops are then used as ingredients in the total mixed ration, or TMR, which is fed to the cows. TMR is a nutritionally-balanced blend of forage and grains mixed by a machine to exact specifications. This method, or “recipe,” allows cows to consume the desired proportion of food.

C.A.T.C.H.-ing Dairy

Bruce and Vicki’s daughter, Brittany, recently represented Delaware and the dairy industry when she competed in the Miss America pageant. More than 50 family members, friends and supporters flew to Las Vegas in January to cheer on Brittany. Her personal platform is C.A.T.C.H., or Coordinated Approach to Child Health, which promotes physical activity and healthy food choices, including lowfat dairy foods. During school presentations as Miss Delaware, Brittany encourages children to consume 3-A-Day™ of Dairy to build stronger bones and healthy bodies. She will continue to promote dairy’s health image as Miss Delaware until she crowns her successor in June 2008.