Interview with Phil Trowbridge
Owner/Operator of Trowbridge Angus, Ghent
Q1: How long have you been a producer?
A: I’ve been a beef producer for over 54 years.
Q2: How many generations have been part of your cattle operation?
A: I’m a 4th generation beef farmer, my son PJ is 5th generation.
Q3: What’s the most unique thing about your operation?
A: We are a Seedstock producer and have the region’s largest bull sale. Our business is developing
the best genetics that will improve the quality of beef and in turn we sell these genetics to
commercial beef producers.
Q4: What does being a cattle producer mean to you?
A: It means a lot to me to know that we are working towards producing beef more efficiently so
people can enjoy safe, high quality beef with their families.
Q5: As a producer, what role do you play in protecting the environment?
A: We do a lot with nutrient management (manure handling). We work diligently to use the best
varieties of grasses thus making the cattle more efficient. We just applied for a grant for fencing
for our wet land areas. We want to protect against erosion and protect our wetlands.
Q6: What would you want consumers to know about how you help conserve natural
resources?
A: We want consumers to know that we work hard to genetically improve cattle to make them more
feed efficient from birth up to harvest. In this way we are conserving land used to feed cattle
both through grazing practices as well as crop production.
Q7: What’s the most important thing you do for the environment on your operation?
A: Manure handling is the most important thing we do for the environment on our operation, by how
we build feeding areas, gather manure and redistribute the nutrients thus reducing fertilizer
usage and in turn having productive pastures. We grow approximately 300 acres of hay for feed
and about 20 acres of corn for silage.
Q8: Have you made any changes recently to further address your operation’s
sustainability?
A: Let me start off by saying change is constant. Our manure management has cut fertilizer use
and redistributes our resources. Through my son’s innovative ideas, we now work with other farms
in the area and share labor with others, a “co-op” of sorts. We work together to harvest crops,
what would take 10 days to 2 weeks to harvest now takes 24 hours! Because we changed our
farming practices, we share help and equipment which made us more efficient. If we didn’t do this,
our farm could not economically support two families.
Q9: What will your legacy as a cattle producer be? What will it be to the
environment? What will it be for your family?
A: If I can keep my community healthy it will be better for all of us. I don’t look at my neighbors
as competition, they are the “community” I’m talking about. We help each other and by getting
better together we can pass our operations on to the next generation. The definition of
“sustainability” to me is being able to pass it on to the next generation.
The legacy for the environment would be to continue to do things better, constantly striving to
improve manure management, maintain and improve our pastures and make cattle more feed
efficient which is often overlooked. If cattle are efficient they’ll go to harvest sooner, which in
turn means less methane, they will eat less, have fewer input costs, all of which are better for the
environment.
Q10: What should consumers know about your daily life and how you are helping
to feed America?
A: That as a beef farmer we strive daily to ensure we are producing a quality product consistently
through genetics. We are constantly doing our best to think out of the box to ensure a safe,
quality product.
Q11: How do you educate future generations about the cattle industry?
A: We have supported internship programs here at Trowbridge Farms for over 30 years. We have
students from Cornell, Penn State, Auburn to name a few. We work with 4-H, we conduct lectures
at SUNY Cobleskill and Morrisville. We educate the next generation about the needs of the cattle
and what needs to happen to sustain the industry.
Q12: What do you do to be a good steward of the land?
A: We work to graze our pastures efficiently and use fertilizer judiciously to maximize
production. Most of our production comes from grass so we don’t over graze the land, thus causing
erosion concerns.
Q13: What actions do you take to ensure your animals are properly taken care of?
A: We work to ensure our cattle are comfortable and their welfare comes first. We do whatever
it takes to ensure these two qualities. We have found that cattle are more efficient when
comfortable; they feed and water more efficiently.
Q14: What do you do to ensure beef safety?
A: We follow the beef industry’s BQA (Beef Quality Assurance) program and NYSCHAP (New York
State Cattle Health Assurance Program). We make sure that equipment used for feed is not the
same as used for manure handling, we strive to keep cattle clean and healthy with proper
vaccinations and proper nutrition. Healthy cattle are the first step in producing a safe product.
Q15: What are some challenges you feel are facing the beef industry?
A: The illusion that beef isn’t safe and cattle are not cared for properly, it’s a very serious illusion.
The media and certain activist groups focus on the negative, they don’t present both sides and
don’t look at the positive. I believe we can overcome this by talking to people with a constant
message that beef production is safe and our animals are healthy and properly treated.
Q16: What breed of cattle do you raise? Why did your family choose to raise
this breed of cattle?
A: We raise Black Angus, Red Angus and Herefords. We raise Angus because they are the Cadillac
of the industry and have a high level of consistency in producing a high quality product.
Q17: What type of marketing programs do you use for your cattle? (e.g., natural
organic, conventional)
A: We are a seed stock producer which is different that “selling beef” We are believers in natural,
no implants, which we feel affects fertility. We sell our bulls as “natural” but we work in a segment
of the industry that is hard to label.
Q18: How do you see all of the steps in the production chain working together?
A: From conception to consumption the chain works well as whole. However from background to
finish, we can always do better, make cattle more efficient and facilities more cattle friendly with
the help of such people as Temple Grandin.
Q19: What’s the best part about being a beef producer? What’s not so great?
A: Making my mark. It’s not a great way to make a living but there isn’t any better way of life. It
gives my kids a work ethic, pride and confidence. Most young people don’t know what “instinct” is.
If you are working in life, whether personal or professional you need to listen to that “inner voice”
that instinct. If what you are doing in life doesn’t “feel right” don’t do it. The next generation
needs to hear this voice and trust it vs. second guess.
But the best part of being a beef producer is watching the evolution of cattle from selecting the
semen, insemination, calving and then being able to measure the decisions you made the year
before. If you lose an animal it is devastating. What’s not so great? People taking pot shots at
the industry.