Easton Dairy
Education first
Sean Quinn’s family has always placed a strong emphasis not only on farming right, but also on doing the business of farming right. He grew up on his family’s farm in western New York. His grandfather graduated from Cornell University and put a premium on education. “Granddad always said, ‘Nobody can ever take that away from you,’” Sean explains. Sean followed the family tradition and headed off to Cornell. “It opened my eyes to outside the Northeast, that dairy is global,” he says. “It gave me broader view of world and connected me to so many people, to a vast infrastructure of knowledge.”
Still doing it
After school, Sean worked for a short while as a farm appraiser but “it wasn’t for me,” he says. “I like being my own boss. I like being outside, like the animals, the diversity of work.” Sean established Easton Dairy near Albany, which he now operates with his wife, Melissa Murray, a doctor of veterinary medicine, and their son, Levi. Although he always keeps an eye on the bottom line, Sean says, “It’s not about money. It’s about enjoying what you do. That’s why I’m still doing it.”
The smell of soil
The couple agrees that late spring is a favorite time of year when the cows can get out to pasture and “they run around like crazy. That’s fun to watch,” says Melissa. “I love the smell of the soil and all the leaves are coming out,” adds Sean. His two grown daughters from a previous marriage help out and their little brother also pitches in to feed the calves and collect eggs from the family’s laying flock. “I name the cows,” Levi says proudly. “They give us milk and help us make money.”