About The CAFOs of the Upper Black River Valley ....

CAFOs are mid-size (orange square) and large (brown square) dairies that have to manure management and water quality plans approved by the state to ensure they aren't over fertilizing fields and are controlling run off from their barnyards. Other farms are required to have CAFO permits, however dairy is the primary large-scale livestock industry in New York thanks to the state's cool and wet climate that is good for silage growing and dairy cow comfort. Click on boxes to pull up the farm record.

They say that Lowville rhythms with Cowville. The Black River Valley is known for it's fertile soils in narrow the strip between Tug Hill Plateau and Adirondack hill country of Independence River Wild Forest. The hicktown  of Lowville has all the smells of dairy country both good and pungent, haylage and silage, manure, and cattle more generally.

Marks Dairy, south of Lowville is one of the largest dairies in state, fed by thousands of acres of rich soil that are turned into silage, fed to cows, which are milked and turned into delicious cream cheese and other diary products. Lowville has the Cream Cheese festival every year, a product invented in Philadelphia, a few miles up the road.