Cottonwood Farms is a multi-generational family dairy farm that has been operating in the southeast corner of Genesee County, New York since 1880, when Frank Tillotson purchased the farm’s initial acres in a sandy valley that had been traditionally planted in apple orchards.
Throughout the generations, the Tillotson family has carried forward a tradition of stewardship defined by openness to change and the willingness to innovate. In 1955, they became the first family in the valley to build a milking parlor. In 1999, they stepped away from the conventional dairy model and began experimenting with Management-Intensive Grazing (MIG) practices to improve the health of the dairy’s land and animals. In 2006, the Tillotsons earned Organic Certification and broke free from the conventional milk markets, and in 2021, installed two of only three Solar Hybrid Diffuser Augmented Wind Turbines (DAWT) in the country to help power their farm operations and reduce their carbon footprint.
Today, the 5th and 6th generation continue to manage the dairy with a long view toward the future. Their priority is simple and steadfast: to care for the land and animals in a way that ensures the next generation inherits resources that are healthier, stronger, and more abundant than before.
That commitment shows up in the practices they embrace. Automated milking systems allow cows to milk themselves naturally, reducing stress and freeing the dairy team from rigid schedules. Meanwhile, management intensive grazing supports healthy pastures, thriving wildlife, and the cows’ natural grazing behaviors. Cottonwood Farms serves as an exemplary model of holistic generational stewardship, demonstrating that care for land, animals, and community can guide a farm forward for more than a century.
Ecological, Social, and Economic Stewardship Practices
Cottonwood Farms is committed to regenerating ecosystem resources and upholding generational stewardship. They pursue these goals through a number of practices across land, animals and community. These include:
Ecological Stewardship:
- Practicing no- to low-till soil management across the acres they manage.
- Utilizing Management-Intensive Grazing (MIG), moving cows to fresh paddock every 12 hours to support soil regeneration.
- Creating and maintaining wildlife riparian areas.
- Planting cover crops and diverse crop species to maintain soil health and decrease pest pressure.
- Providing their cows 24/7 access to milking machines to enable the animals to choose their own milking schedule.
- Utilizing two of only three Solar Hybrid Diffuser Augmented Wind Turbines (DAWT) in the country to help power farm operations and reduce their carbon footprint.
Economic Stewardship:
- Providing stable, year-round employment to a rural area.
Social Stewardship:
- Maintaining generational family ownership on undeveloped, regeneratively managed farmland.
- Placing their land under a conservation easement to protect it from future development and ensure long-term agricultural use.
