For D-J Farm, Farm of the Year
After renting a small farm with Dick Young in South Dayton, NY for one year, Dana Rublee brought 30 head of cattle with him and purchased the farm on Dublin Rd in 1976. Included was 205 acres, 70 of which was crop land. In 1977 he married Julie marking the beginning of D-J Farm. Between 1978 and 1987 they had 4 children: Robin, Melissa, Rick and Kimberly. They started buying small farms nearby 20-30 acres at a time. In 1980, they expanded with a silo and an addition was put on the main barn, allowing room for 54 milk cows and young stock. On a Spring day in 1997 Julie told Dana when he went in the house for lunch that, “Our prayers may have been answered. Brenden Martin called and wants to see if we can sit down to talk about him coming to work here.” After many conversations and meetings, on September 1, 1997 Brenden Martin joined the farm along with his wife Kerri, son, Logan, Daughter Jenna and shortly after, their 3rd child, Kellen. Dana spent 10 years selling Doebler seed corn. Dana and Julie are members of Cattaraugus County Holstein Club and WNY Crop Association. In the beginning, the farm shipped their milk to Carnation in South Dayton, NY. Later to Friendship Dairies, and are currently members of Steamburg Milk Co-Op. Brenden and Kerri are long-time members of the Cattaraugus County Holstein Club, Brenden serving in various roles such as Director, Vice President and President; members of the New York State Holstein Association; National Holstein Association; and Cattaraugus County Farm Bureau. Kerri has served as the 4-H Dairy Superintendent at the Cattaraugus County Fair for over 20 years. D-J Farm has hosted countless youth and adult programs including youth dairy judging contests and barn meetings, Junior Dairy Leader farm tours and meetings, adult farm tours. In 2008, D-J Farm was recognized with the Dairy of Distinction award. This award recognizes the hard work and dedication of dairy owners/operators who have attractive, well-kept farms to help promote a positive dairy image. By using the best genetics available over the years, in the early 2000’s the farm developed one of the most sought out cow families in the Holstein breed due to their extreme butterfat production. This resulted in the sale of numerous bulls to A.I. organizations and area farmers as well as many embryos marketed both domestically and internationally. Both the Rublee and Martin families have been active at the Cattaraugus County Fair which has continued through to the next generations. The children and grandchildren serving as active members in 4-H, Dairy Princess Programs and FFA. Today, D-J Farm crops 350 acres and owns 250 head of cattle. The Martin Family (Brenden, Kerri, Logan, Paige, Eloise, Jenna and Kellen) own about 40 head of registered Holsteins. Cows are housed in tie-stalls and free-stalls. They are milked twice per day in an 8-stall step parlor which was added on in 2017. They have a rolling herd average of 29,240 pounds of milk, 1,147 pounds of fat, and 897 pounds of protein. The cows are fed a total mixed ration of corn silage, haylage and grain. With hard work, dedication, teamwork, and strict attention to detail in all aspects of farm management, D-J Farm has successfully raised their families while doing what they love. It is an excellent way to live and raise a family. D-J Farm, the Rublee and Martin families, would like to thank and give credit to people and organizations who have supported the farm throughout the years. Everyone’s individual and collective contributions have been instrumental in our business throughout the last half-century. The dedicated and committed employees, a network of other farmers, neighbors, veterinarians, milk testers, feed mills, fertilizer suppliers, equipment & machinery dealers, WNY Crop Association, semen companies, various contractors and so many more. All the people that we have done business with over the years, we appreciate you.
