Sunnyside Farms in New York: History, What It Raises, How It Makes Money and How to Contact It
Profile updated November 2026
Sunnyside Farms in Scipio Center is one of the largest dairy operations in New York, with about 7,500 acres and roughly 5,000 milking cows, according to the state announcement of its 2024 New York AEM-Leopold Conservation Award. The family-run farm sits between Cayuga and Owasco Lakes, so its manure, nutrient and erosion decisions are watched closely by a watershed that supplies drinking water to nearly 150,000 people.
| Location | Scipio Center, Cayuga County, New York (Finger Lakes) |
|---|---|
| Family | Brothers Greg and Neil Rejman; farming the land since the 1930s |
| Sectors | Dairy; corn; hay and grass; renewable energy |
| Scale | About 7,500 acres; roughly 5,000 dairy cows plus 4,000 replacement heifers and calves; about 70 staff |
| Why it is elite | 2024 New York AEM-Leopold Conservation Award recipient |
| Ownership | Family owned and operated |
| Official website | NY Agriculture and Markets AEM-Leopold Conservation Award announcement |
History of Sunnyside Farms
Sunnyside Farms is owned and operated by brothers Greg and Neil Rejman. The family has worked this land since the 1930s, when their grandfather started with 14 cows that he milked by hand. Over the following decades the herd and the cropland grew step by step into the large, professionally staffed dairy that the state honored in 2024.
In 2024 the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets selected Sunnyside Farms for the New York AEM-Leopold Conservation Award, presented with the Sand County Foundation and carrying a cash prize. The award recognizes farmers who go above and beyond in soil health, water quality and wildlife habitat on working land.
What Sunnyside Farms Grows and Raises
Sunnyside manages more than 3,500 acres of corn plus permanent hay fields and grasslands to feed about 5,000 cows and 4,000 replacement heifers and calves. About 900 acres of steep, erosion-prone ground are deliberately kept in hay and grass instead of corn, and roughly 100 acres of grass are reseeded each year. The farm employs about 70 people.
Water protection is the heart of the operation's reputation. Buffer strips and grass waterways along corn fields are long enough to encircle Owasco Lake, according to the award announcement. Milking parlor wash water and silage leachate are recycled into fertilizer, and the farm uses cover crops, reduced tillage, strip cropping and a corn-and-hay rotation to build soil. Flotation tires on machinery limit compaction, and stream stabilization projects were completed with the Cayuga County Soil and Water Conservation District.
Manure handling is unusually engineered. Liquid manure is injected into fields rather than spread on the surface, and more than ten miles of underground piping move manure to fields, which reduces road hauling and spill risk. Covers and flare systems on manure storage cut odor and emissions. A manure digester installed in 2008 produces renewable electricity and natural gas, enough to power about 800 homes, and the digested solids are reused as livestock bedding.
How Sunnyside Farms Makes Money
Milk production
The core business is a large dairy herd of about 5,000 cows. Milk is the single largest agricultural commodity in New York, worth about $3.87 billion in the 2022 Census of Agriculture, and herds at this scale depend on tight feed costs and consistent herd health to protect margins.
Renewable energy from manure
The 2008 digester turns manure into electricity and natural gas, with output the announcement equates to about 800 homes. This is a second product line from the same manure stream, and it also supports odor and emissions control.
Cropping, research and outreach
More than 3,500 acres of corn plus hay and grass supply the herd, reducing purchased feed exposure. Hosting research and tours does not appear as a sales line, but it builds relationships with Cornell, regulators and neighbors that help a large farm keep its license to operate.
Farm Insight: What Other Operators Can Learn from Sunnyside Farms
Scale in a sensitive watershed works when conservation is part of the production plan, not an add-on. Sunnyside keeps its steepest 900 acres in perennial cover, uses injection and underground pipes to cut spill risk, and documents the results with the local Soil and Water Conservation District. Large farms near drinking water can use the same playbook.
Treat manure as an asset with several outputs: fertilizer, bedding, energy and community goodwill. Third-party recognition such as the Leopold award also gives a farm credibility with lenders, neighbors and regulators when expansion or permits come up.
Sunnyside Farms runs about 5,000 cows, which means somewhere in Scipio Center there is a barn clock that is always saying it is milking time. At farm.FM, where we collect farm satire, farm humor, ranch humor and farm jokes, we admire any outfit whose manure pipeline is longer than most towns' main streets. The Rejmans can take a bow; the cows, being cows, will simply ask what is for lunch.
The outlet behind those laughs, farm.FM, is the nation's first satirical farm site, complete with Tractor Tunes country music for farmers. A farm.FM humorist's archive shows what a week of it looks like.
How to Contact Sunnyside Farms
Contact details as published online, November 2026. No street address, phone or email for the operation was found in the sources reviewed; confirm before traveling or placing orders.
Sunnyside Farms Sources and Agriculture Authority Links
- Sunnyside Farms award announcement - State announcement of the 2024 AEM-Leopold winner
- NY Agricultural Environmental Management - State program behind the award nominations
- Leopold Conservation Award program - Sand County Foundation award page
- 2022 Census of Agriculture, New York - NASS state profile with farm and dairy figures
- New York Farm Bureau: NY agriculture facts - State farm statistics and rankings
Sunnyside Farms FAQ
Where is Sunnyside Farms?
It is in Scipio Center, Cayuga County, in the Finger Lakes region of New York, between Cayuga and Owasco Lakes.
How big is Sunnyside Farms?
The award announcement lists about 7,500 acres, roughly 5,000 dairy cows and 4,000 replacement heifers and calves, and about 70 staff.
What award has Sunnyside Farms won?
It was selected for the 2024 New York AEM-Leopold Conservation Award.
How can I contact Sunnyside Farms?
No farm website, address or phone was found in the sources reviewed. The state announcement is linked above; try the Cayuga County Soil and Water Conservation District or Cornell Cooperative Extension for introductions.
Sunnyside Farms shows how a very large Finger Lakes dairy can pair scale with watershed stewardship. For more on dairy, grain and fruit in the Empire State, see the New York farms guide and the other profiled operations.