Carlos L. Valery Jr. comes from a long line of cattle farmers in the Orinoco River region of Venezuela, but he is the first of his family to put down roots in New York. In Venezuela, Carlos was a rancher and successfully ran a cheese plant producing mozzarella made with buffalo and dairy cow milk, until political challenges made his business untenable. Carlos immigrated to attend college in New York City earning an MS in Sustainability, complementing his university training in Agronomy from Venezuela. In 2017, Carlos decided to move upstate and start his own beef cattle operation on leased land in Bloomville.
Carlos turned to the Farmland for a New Generation New York program and the farmland finder website to aid his search for more permanent land to farm. He was one week away from closing on a property in Delaware County when the landowner pulled back their offer. Because Carlos had been working closely with NY FarmNet, a Regional Navigator for Farmland for a New Generation New York, they knew where he was looking for land and his basic needs for a suitable property. NY FarmNet staff saw a new listing added to the farmland finder website and alerted Carlos, who quickly reached out to express his interest. A few days later, Carlos was viewing the farm property and discovered it was just across the road from the farm that had fallen through!
The 115-acre farm he found was owned by another beef farmer, Ken Jaffe, who raised his cattle the same way as Carlos, including practicing rotational grazing. Ken also operated a business distributing beef to state institutions under the brand of Slope Farms. The two began to work together with Carlos marketing his beef through Slope Farms, and eventually he began selling directly to institutional markets in New York City. Carlos bought the farm and leased surrounding acreage for pasture and hay production as he grew his herd.
The Orinoco River, which is the largest river in Venezuela, was central to the four generations of cattle ranchers who farmed on either bank of the river in Carlos’ family – becoming the namesake of Carlos’ farm, Orinoco Cattle Products. “We are four generations that gave and give everything for our "Oriente" that we continue to believe, work, and develop one of the noblest activities – ranching,” Carlos said. “We honor that at Orinoco, to not forget the roots of where we come from, and to honor the grandparents who with great vision gave us the opportunities to be who we are today.” Now, Carlos farms north of the Delaware River, which is the longest free-flowing river in the eastern U.S. and is surrounded by a creek that wraps around the property and provides water to the cows.
Just as things were ramping up for Carlos, he encountered a serious set-back – Johne’s disease – and lost half his herd. As devastating as it was, Carlos used the situation to take a step back and focus on rebuilding his stock with his remaining healthy animals, who have since tested negative for the disease. Around the same time, he faced financial pressure from his lenders to meet his projections.
“They actually told me that you need to close the business,” Carlos said. “And I was like, I’m not closing nothing – let me figure out what we’re going to do.” Carlos applied for and was awarded a Brighter Future Fund grant from American Farmland Trust, which helped him focus on his online marketing and to start work on his farm stand to sell beef direct-to-consumer. While these efforts have helped keep Carlos above water, he emphasizes the need for more support for farmers on remaining economically viable.
Driving through the pasture with Carlos, it’s evident that the cattle are used to his daily presence. The animals hardly blink as the pickup truck weaves between them, and they meander closer with the call of his whistle, expecting to receive their new paddock of fresh grass. However, raising livestock, especially without help, is risky business. Carlos experienced this when a large, pregnant cow kicked him square in the forearm, hard enough to break the bone. Proving his resilience and humor, Carlos later named her calf Ulna, after this broken bone.
While Carlos is often farming by himself, he recognizes the value of having community. “It doesn't matter if we're producing vegetables, we're producing corn, we're producing beef, milk, whatever – we’re colleagues,” Carlos said. “We need to get together as farmers, because we're facing challenges that 30 years, 40 years ago, were not there.”
A lover of history, Carlos is worried about the ability for us to preserve the knowledge of past and current generations of farmers for the future. “I think about that a lot of like these older farmers who have a lot of knowledge that don't pass that on to a next generation,” Carlos said. “And if they don't have the next generation or they get forced out or have to sell the farm, or they just pass without it having planned for succession – it's a loss of that knowledge, that legacy.”
At Orinoco Cattle Products, Carlos honors his Venezuelan ranching roots while stewarding farmland for future generations in New York.
Story published in August 2025.
