11 minute read
Feature Story: Family Affair, The Cessna Family
Left: Cessna Brothers farm, Below: Buck Cessna’s family, L-R Tyler, Dana, Buck, Molly Photos provided by Cessna family
Family Affair
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For the Cessna family, working together is not only a way of life,
it’s a recipe for success. -By Rose Morian
Newly elected President of the Pennsylvania Holstein In time, two of Buck’s brothers, Clinton and Craig (who was Association, Wayne (more commonly known as Buck) Cessna may now hold the official position of leader, but as with his home farm of C-Cove Holsteins, it’s easy to see he works well with others. Pulling up the driveway at C-Cove the most prominent feature is the stunning, long, barn that is well taken care of and over a century old. The next would be the beautiful Standard Collie that greets you with the same good nature as his owners, no barking or growling from this one, just a gracious welcome. And while Buck may have been the initiator of the C-Cove dairy herd, the farm is truly a family affair with a rich heritage. C-Cove Holsteins started in 1987, after “ Buck had graduated from an Ag Tech course at Potomac State, part of West Virginia University. Buck’s father had eight siblings, three of which went together in partnership with him to form Cessna Brothers. Cessna Brothers had a sawmill and a beef herd, and when Buck graduated from the Ag Tech course, he spearheaded the partnership’s entrance into dairy cattle. When asked why he chose to continue his education through the Ag Tech course, Buck said that he knew he wanted to branch out and pursue something outside of the sawmill and beef businesses. After Buck graduated, Cessna Brothers bought 50 registered Holsteins and started milking on the property where they currently farm, which they were able to buy piece by piece as the prior owner decided to sell it. As one of eight siblings himself (with six brothers and one sister) it was not a surprise when others from the family joined Buck on the farm. only five years old when they started the dairy), have gotten involved in the dairy farm, making a second generation of Cessna brothers working together, as is also the case with the sawmill. Another of Buck’s brothers, Howard, maintains the Cessna Brothers beef herd. Altogether, Cessna Brothers now has 13 or 14 partners in the business-enough that it couldn’t be narrowed to an exact number without taking extra time to count each member. The brothers work together on the dairy in all things, some specializing in one thing or another, but all being capable of We’re a family doing whatever needs done. Craig and Buck usually business and we milk together, while Clinton prefers to feed and bed, but they are all aware of what’s going on with actually still get along. the ration, cows, calves, and crops at any given We work together time. Buck’s wife, Dana, picks up milking if they’re shorthanded, and their kids, Tyler and Molly, are ”every day, and then we hang out together. also involved. Tyler works off farm now, but is at the farm most weekends to lend a hand any time they are short of help. Molly is also involved on the farm, can usually be seen in the showring, and designs any ads the family uses. Molly got started designing the farms ads after seeking out a contest to participate in while attending the Pennsylvania Junior Holstein Convention. She enjoyed the experience so much that she started designing the ads for the cows she knew and loved, something she plans to continue doing in the future. It was 1992 when Buck and Dana first entered the dairy cow show world, exhibiting two Holstein March calves at the Bedford County fair. Buck had grown up showing beef steers, and had enjoyed the competition aspect of it, as he had while
playing high school sports. He knew when he got into dairy cattle that showing was something he would be able to enjoy and started to pursue that idea. As he described it, “When you can’t play sports anymore, you try to find something else to be competitive at. Some people play golf, we show cows.” It was at that fair in 1992 that Bruce Snider encouraged him to show at their Championship show and get involved with Pennsylvania Holstein Association, both of which he did. He learned a great deal through both experiences. “We all start out not knowing what to do, and if you watch the right people, and pay attention, you can learn and better yourself.”
Buck got involved with the Pennsylvania Holstein Association following that first fair, in the fall and winter of 1992, and by the mid-1990’s was a state director. At the time, he didn’t know any of the other board members, and Ken Raney did as Ken does and welcomed him into the group. It didn’t take long for friendship with the other PHA members to flourish. “This Holstein thing is a completely different set of friends and family than the ones I have here at home. I didn’t grow up with it,” he said, speaking of having no neighboring farms at home, “All these people I got to meet through Holstein were a new set of friends, some of them are people I’m closest to now.” As Buck continued with Pennsylvania Holstein Association, he got more and more involved. Buck chaired the state sale committee once and was show chair twice, under Tim Sturgeon and Reid Hoover. To date, he’s spent 20 years on the show committee helping others have the opportunity to enjoy the shows like he does. “I’ve only missed a couple years at Harrisburg,” he recalled, “And I’ve been to Madison many, many times. I’ve only shown there three times, but I’ve been there a lot.” Being an exhibitor himself helps keep the inspiration alive. It’s clear he doesn’t regret any of the time or energy spent, “Some of the people I’ve met through PHA are my best friends I have to this day.” He went on to explain the impact the people and the association have had: “It’s all because of this business we’re in… you get friends because of the circumstances you find yourself in; I have a different life because of my involvement with PHA.” The large labor pool at home was mentioned as the reason the family is able to balance being able to show and farm; everyone in the family pitches in to make showing possible when the time comes. With eight siblings and over 50 cousins, the family is better equipped than some to cover chores to allow a few to attend the show. Craig and his wife, Jess, have two sons, Trent and Cooper, who are younger and early in their showing years. They also get some outside volunteers, such as the family friend, “Grubby”, who enjoys working with the cows so much he will schedule vacation from his job to come work on the farm during the shows. But showing takes more time than simply having help cover chores during the show. The Cessna brothers already have a special pen in their free-stall to accommodate the cows they’re looking at showing this year. These cows are milked in their own group for convenience, and fed slightly different rations from the ordinary cows in the free stall. It takes an extra 15-20 minutes per milking, but it’s all considered a small sacrifice to be able to do what they love. The brothers joke and talk as they milk in a double four step-up parlor, picking out which heifers they’re excited for or want to improve upon, and which ones they see the most promise in for the future. The free-stalls, calf pens, and heifer barns are bedded multiple times each week with sawdust, as the cleanliness of the cows is of great importance. “We own a sawmill,” Buck said, “we have no excuse for dirty cows, except pure laziness, and if that’s the case, shame on us.” Over the years, the original barn’s small lean-to was renovated and made bigger to accommodate freestall housing for the 85 cows in the milking herd. A calf barn was also added, and another barn remodeled and converted to heifer pens to house their 80-85 head of young stock. The construction work was all done by the family, with lumber cut in the family mill. They also grow and harvest all of their own crops, with the exception of having chopping done custom. They farm 550-600 acres of grass, corn, and small grains, which feeds both the dairy and beef herds. Alfalfa is a challenge to grow on the property, so they have found a way of feeding that works for them and relies on other forages. They also raise every calf born on the farm, bringing the heifers into the milking herd and raising the steers as freezer beef. The equipment on the property is not new, nor are the facilities. The parlor is the original parlor put in 35 years ago when they started. And while both Buck and Craig said they would love to make improvements and updates to their equipment and facilities, knowing how the milk market shifts, they acknowledge that as long as what they have gets the job done, they’re satisfied. Good care and maintenance is just part of the job, and it has kept the equipment in working order and able to accomplish all they need.
Buck reflected the farmers heart when talking about his favorite part of farming: the new calves. Calves in this breeder herd come after a carefully selected mating and a nine month wait, with the possibility that this could be “the next great one”. This is the challenge and thrill that motivates the brothers to keep doing what they’re doing. The Cessna brothers carefully choose the matings for each of their cows with an eye to several important factors, aiming mainly for high-type cows that know how to work. “We aim for cows that score high with high component milk,” Buck said, “We don’t ” necessarily have show cows, we show the cows we have.” They also take care for the future herd, watching the Somatic Cell score and Daughter Pregnancy Rate of each bull, and will not use a bull that is +3 or -2, respectively. Bulls that have worked well in their herd to date include Solomon, Sidekick, Equation, and going back a few generations, Durham. They’re currently welcoming Delta Lambda calves, with hopes that he’ll be added to that list in the future. As for bulls being used at current, the list includes Crushabull, Luster-P, Latenight, Unstoppabull, Sidekick, and a sprinkling of Tatoo. “You’re always hoping that next one is going to be better than her mother.” The list of favorite cows that they have owned includes such cows as C-Cove-NV Reflect Lexis (EX-94-3E), C-Cove Phoenix Lulu (EX-94-3E), C-Cove Atwood Tess (EX-94-2E), True-Vine Airliner Luella (EX-93), C-Cove-NV Atlantic Lydia (EX-90) (the family’s first to win a national show), and Saxton Hill Sweet Lady-P Ex-93 96MS (RC and polled). The family considers two of the best decisions they have made since starting in business to be buying New-Vision-OBR Licorice-ET EX-90 (the original cow in the “L” family and dam of Lexis) in partnership, and originally purchasing registered Holsteins, which happened somewhat by accident. When asked what they feel their greatest accomplishment is, Buck turned the conversation to how the family has remained a family while in business. “We’re a family business and we actually still get along. We work together every day, and then we hang out together. How often do you see that?” On the cow side of it, he pointed to the progress that has been made in the past 35 years. The first time C-Cove classified, the highest scored cow out of 45-50 reviewed was their only cow to merit a score of Very Good, and the official BAA was under 100. Since then, they have bred multiple EX-94 point cows. Because of the classification program they utilize, Cessna brothers does not have an official BAA, but current herd statistics are: 12 Excellent, 40 Very Good, 20 Good Plus, and 1 Good.
Saxton-Hill Sweet Lady P EX-93 Cessna Brothers is truly a family business, with not only the brothers working together, but multiple generations of siblings working together. Both Buck and Craig’s kids are currently involved with the dairy, as well as showing at the local, state, and national levels. Clinton and his wife Susie have one son, Zane, who currently works off farm. Howard’s children, Kylee and Holden, also show cattle, but on the beef side. Kylee is currently a student at the Ohio State University focused in Equine and Holden is a senior in high school. When asked what advice they would pass on to others, Buck shared some advice given to him. “Find out what works best for you, and breed the kind of cows you want.” The Cessna family has certainly found what works for them, and it is a brand of success that leaves one impressed by the attention to minute details as well as the large scope of the Cessna Brothers operation. u
