Joanna Graham

The smell of manure fills the air, clinging to anything that will hold it. Sunlight slowly reaches back across 150 acres of grazing land. The rhythmic crunching of gravel beneath a pair of boots creates a stir in the pasture. Dairy cows begin to fuss.
The sun is up at York&#8217;s Dairy, one of only two private dairy farms still operating in Madison County. As many farms have moved away from dairy farming and looked to more profitable options such as beef cattle, Jerry York continues his family’s legacy. In 2000, he bought the dairy farm from his father, Harold York. To make ends meet, he also raises tobacco and manages two cattle farms.
While the economic boom of the 1970s saw U.S. agriculture rapidly expand, including the dairy farms of Madison County, many farmers approached retirement age, sold their cattle and moved on, but Jerry, 55, is younger than the average dairy farmer and he has stuck it out.
During a six-month period when Jerry was in his early 30s, he left the farm in hopes of opening a dry-cleaning shop. After completing the training, he realized the demands of a retail business would push him off the farm. So he returned to farming, never again to think of leaving the land.

Determined holdout