A northern Michigan man who has known nothing but milking cows his entire life has decided to put away his working gloves.
After 50 years, Dean Edgecomb, one of the only dairy farmers in Traverse City is moving on.
“Ever since I was 18 years old I milked cows,” said Dean Edgecomb.
Dean Edgecomb grew up on a farm off Hammond Road, and for 53 years has been a dairy farmer.
“I still love it,” said Edgecomb.
But at 70 years old, it’s finally time for him to give it up.
“Maybe my wife and I can spend some time together doing something else besides milking cows every morning and night,” said Edgecomb.
But these cows are more than just his job.
“When you help the little baby calves be born and raise it up until it has a baby of its own, you get attached to them,” said Edgecomb. “I do anyway.”
His cows will be sold in livestock sale.
“He’d rather have it that way than to send them to somebody else because he likes to know who’s taking care of his animals,” said his wife, Victoria Edgecomb.
But his age isn’t the only reason he’s getting out of the business, he says the price of milk has plummeted.
“There’s no place in the dairy business for a little farmer anymore, it’s all big farmers,” said Edgecomb.
And while you can take him out of the dairy farm, you can’t take the dairy farmer out of him.
“Yeah I think I will miss it, I never tire of milking my cows,” said Edgecomb.
Dean says he wouldn’t have been this successful as a dairy farmer without the help and support of his wife and family.
Dean says he’s not retiring completely. He will continue being a beef farmer which is a lot less labor intensive then dairy farming.
