In the borough of Waterford is a dairy farm owned by a brother and sister duo, David and Theresa Kaschak.
The farm was once owned by their parents.
Raising and milking cows has become their lifestyle, so much so that neither one of them has married or had children.
They made the difficult decision to part ways with their beloved cows Tuesday morning.
The Kaschaks are letting go of a mixture of their 40 Holstein and Jersey cows because the daily demands of operating a farm have become too strenuous.
The Kaschaks aren’t the only dairy farmers who have had to close recently.
“This is sad news for Erie County today. We have seen a decline in dairy production in Erie County that’s been going down hill over the last 50 years,” said Brian Young, director of the Erie County Farm Bureau.
Before the 2000s, there were well over 200 farms shipping milk. Now there are less than 20.
Young said this is due to consolidation and large-scale distribution. He said the only way to save these farms is if consumers engage in local food networks.
“We’ve seen this decline across the country, most of it due to those processing plants where they are placed and the most economical regions for that milk to come from to supply those plants, and we just do not have processing plants in our region,” said Young.
It was an emotional day for the Kaschaks as they closed a chapter in their lives, but they hope their passion is a reminder that small farms aren’t coming back until something changes.
“We’ve seen this happen too many times in Erie County and across the state Pennsylvania, but were here to support them,” said Young.
Young said that at this point, there also needs to be a big investment by large wholesalers.
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