From 15 cows to 20,000: How the McCarty family revolutionized dairy farming while maintaining values and earning the industry’s top honor.
Have you heard about the McCarty family? Since I visited their operation last month, I can’t stop thinking about their incredible story. Picture this: from a tiny 15-cow Pennsylvania dairy to becoming the World Dairy Expo’s 2025 Dairy Producer of the Year with nearly 20,000 cows across multiple states! What’s truly remarkable isn’t just their size but how they’ve managed to grow while staying true to their family values and pushing the envelope on sustainability.
From Humble Beginnings to Dairy Powerhouse
Do you know how most family farms struggle to make it past one generation? The McCarty story began in 1914 when Taylor McCarty started milking cows near Sugar Run, Pennsylvania. Even then, they weren’t just any operation- Taylor’s little herd received recognition from the National Dairy Association for their exceptional butterfat content!
Ken McCarty (the youngest of the four brothers running things now) told me this great story about his great-grandfather: “He was kind of an innovative guy. He sold tractors when everyone else was still using horse and buggy!”
When Harold McCarty (that’s Ken’s grandfather) took over in 1945, he expanded to about 40 Holsteins. Then Tom and Judy McCarty- who’d been teaching, can you believe it? -jumped in full-time in 1970, building a new barn for 150 cows. By 1981, the Pennsylvania Governor was touring their place, calling it “one of the most progressive” dairies in the state.
But here’s where things get interesting. The McCartys hit a crossroads in the 1990s. Tom and Judy realized that all four sons- Mike, Clay, and Dave- wanted to join the family business, but their Pennsylvania location couldn’t support it.
“Dad sat us down,” Ken told me, “and said, ‘Hey, we either need to change what we’re doing completely, or we need to think about moving otherwise we’re probably not going to survive this.'”
Can you imagine making that decision? After careful research, they took an enormous leap of faith, purchasing a wheat farm in Northwest Kansas and starting fresh with 250 cows on April 1, 2000. April Fool’s Day! Ken laughs about how many of their big moves happened on that date.
The Pennsylvania operation they left behind wasn’t just small-it was wildly inefficient by modern standards. Ken described it: “We were farming about 1,000 acres on 135 different fields spread 28 miles one way across the river, through multiple towns.” No wonder they were looking for a more sustainable approach!
And talk about challenges- they’d already survived two “hundred-year” floods just three years apart in the 1970s and weathered the devastating interest rate crisis of the 1980s. Moving west wasn’t just about growth and giving their multi-generation family business a fighting chance.
The Kansas Adventure and a Game-Changing Partnership
Their initial Kansas operation grew quickly to 800 cows as the brothers started returning to the farm. In 2008, they were approached by a local economic development foundation about building a second dairy in Bird City. The foundation offered financing help to make it happen because they’d seen how dairy operations could revitalize rural communities and schools!
“The privately funded Economic Development Group approached us about building a dairy there,” Ken explained. “At the time, we weren’t financially capable of taking on that, and we honestly informed them of that.” However, through creative financing, the economic development group took a second position as their primary lender, and they made it happen.
By 2009, the McCartys were named Kansas Distinguished Dairy Farm Family of the Year. They continued thoughtful expansion, adding a location in Scott City and growing to about 7,000 milking cows.
Then came 2009-a catastrophic year for the dairy industry, with milk prices plunging. The McCartys had fortunately hedged about 50% of their production, allowing them to weather the storm better than many operations. This experience reinforced their commitment to risk management- a theme shaping their future business model.
But the real plot twist came in 2010. A simple phone call about alternative milk marketing approaches led to a revolutionary partnership with Danone (then Dannon Yogurt).
“We met with them in April 2010 to discuss a different relationship for buying and selling milk,” Ken explained. “The vision of a direct supply model immediately aligned between their teams and ours.”
This partnership was transformative but required something innovative: their on-farm processing plant.
Vertical Integration: The Secret Sauce
You know how most dairy farms just ship their milk off and never see it again? In 2012, the McCartys flipped the script by building an on-farm milk processing facility at their Rexford location. Talk about a learning curve!
“We had no experience running a milk processing plant before 2012,” Ken laughed. “We depended heavily on the Danone teams to help us develop our skill set.”
Initially designed to process about half a million pounds of raw milk daily, they’ve since expanded it to handle up to 2.2 million pounds daily. They’re processing about 1.4 to 1.5 million pounds daily from their western operations.
But getting there wasn’t easy. Ken explained that they had to recruit people with processing plant experience. “Most of those team members are still with us 13 years later,” he noted proudly. They even hired their veterinarian, who was process-flow-oriented and focused on Lean Six Sigma principles, to help build the foundation of their plant management approach.
This is so brilliant because it gives them real-time feedback on milk quality. Imagine knowing within hours, not days, if there’s an issue with components or somatic cell counts! It creates this beautiful closed-loop system where the farm and plant teams work harmoniously.
The plant condenses milk before shipping it to Danone’s manufacturing facilities, separates and pasteurizes cream, and even reclaims water from the milk for cleaning and irrigation. It’s saved them from putting 75% of the trucks they would normally need on the road. That’s a win for efficiency AND the environment.
This vertical integration has also transformed their approach to herd health and antibiotic stewardship. “We have limited the potential milk residue antibiotics that we use on the farm to almost zero,” Ken told me. “Those that we do use are tightly controlled, typically at one location that is not a milk-producing site’s our dry cow and calving facility.”
As their cows have become more productive-routinely producing milk with butterfat levels of 4.5-4.6%-they’ve faced unexpected challenges at the processing level. “Our processing plant separators weren’t designed to accommodate butterfat levels that high, so we have to run our plant slower,” Ken explained. “Most dairymen, their connection to that separator ends at the back of a milk tanker. We see it all the way through.”
East Meets West: The MVP Partnership
Even with their expanded processing capacity, by 2017, the McCartys were looking for new opportunities. This led them to partner with the VanTilburg family in Ohio, creating the McCarty-VanTilburg Partnership (MVP) Dairy.
“The VanTilburgs wanted to connect their crops more directly to finished goods,” Ken explained. “We brought our Danone relationship and dairy expertise to the table. They brought the land and local reputation.”
The Ohio operation, which opened in November 2018, milks about 4,000 cows and ships raw milk directly to Danone’s yogurt plant 18 miles away. What I love about this story is how they took what they learned, Ohio-specifically about tunnel-ventilated barn designs, and brought it back to improve their Kansas operations.
The newest Kansas facility includes two, 120-cow DeLaval rotaries with four, six-row tunnel-ventilated free stall barns feeding each rotary, eight total barns sitting tail-to-tail, sharing a common feed lane, common manure management system.” This design optimizes cow flow, labor efficiency, and animal comfort.
Meanwhile, their Beaver City, Nebraska location was transitioned into a specialized heifer-raising facility, further demonstrating their strategic approach to operational specialization.
Throughout all this growth, they’ve remained committed to their relationship with Danone North America. Today, MVP Dairy ships raw milk directly to Danone, while their western operations process milk through their plant before shipping it to Danone and a few other customers.
The Brothers McCarty: Four Pieces of One Puzzle
Have you ever wondered how family businesses work together without driving each other crazy? The McCarty brothers have figured it out by each finding their lane.
The youngest, Ken, oversees the processing plant genetics work and leads their environmental sustainability and animal welfare initiatives. He smiled, “My preference is working directly with cows, but I spend much more time in front of a laptop than I ever intended to.”
Dave handles “basically everything financial”-banking relationships, budgeting, and overseeing the office team.
The two oldest brothers, Clay and Mike, focus on farm operations, feed buying, and managing the farming side of the business.
Their secret? “We more or less stay out of each other’s areas,” Ken explained simply.
This clear division of responsibilities allows each brother to develop expertise in his domain while ensuring the operation runs smoothly. The management approach has evolved as the business has grown more complex.
I asked Ken how they’ve managed to maintain harmony throughout decades of working together. He attributes it to genuine respect for each other’s strengths and a shared commitment to the family legacy. Unlike many family businesses that fracture under pressure, McCartys has used its complementary skills to build something greater than any other business could have accomplished individually.
Now, they’re beginning to bring in the fifth generation. With 11 family members between ages 8 and 24, the oldest is just starting to join the business after college. It’s a different world than when the current generation started, and his brothers “grew up with a shovel and a pitchfork.” Still, today’s dairy industry requires technological savvy, business acumen, and environmental expertise.
“The eight-year-old says he wants to be a farmer but also says he wants to be a fighter pilot and soldier and a policeman and firefighter,” Ken laughed. “So, he’s eight.” However, succession planning is already in motion for the older fifth-generation members.
Commitment to Team Member Well-Being
One practice that really impressed me about the McCartys is their approach to employee care and retention. In an industry often criticized for labor practices, they’re proving that treating people right is both ethical AND good business.
“Great employees are the backbone of any successful operation,” Ken told me. “We strive to offer competitive compensation packages with comprehensive benefits including health insurance and 401k plans, which helps us attract and retain quality team members.”
This approach has helped them build remarkable stability in their workforce, with many employees having been with them for 10, 15, even 25 years. In rural communities with limited job opportunities, the McCartys have become employers of choice.
Ken acknowledges that recent inflation has created challenges in keeping pace with rising costs, but the family maintains their commitment to creating a positive work environment through both compensation and culture.
Their management philosophy is encapsulated in their DIRT principles: Dedication, Integrity, Respect, and Teamwork. These values guide every aspect of operations, from daily milking routines to long-term business decisions.
They’ve invested in a full human resources team focused on employee engagement, training, and ensuring everyone understands their role in the larger operation. The McCartys also lead by example, following the wisdom of Tom McCarty: “If you ask a team member to be a foot deep in manure, you best be two feet.”
One clever practice they’ve implemented is using third-party remote monitoring to identify problems and catch employees doing things right. “When our remote viewers notice our team members scratching a cow’s ear or doing positive things, we use that as training tools,” Ken explained. This positive reinforcement approach helps build a culture of genuine animal care.
Data-Driven Dairying with a Dash of Cow Sense
When I asked Ken about managing multiple operations, he emphasized their reliance on standardization and protocols. “Each farm operates the same synchronization protocols, treatment protocols, breeding strategies, and vaccination strategies,” he explained. “We work with the same nutritionist, use the same training protocols, and consult the same independent experts.”
This standardization extends to how they collect and analyze data. They’ve invested considerable time ensuring that data entry is consistent across all locations, from how feed ingredients are coded to how health conditions are defined.
“As we’ve stepped away from day-to-day cow-side activities and into more of a true ownership and management role, that standardization has made our systems better,” Ken reflected. “Unlike managing by feel, we allow the data to drive many of our decisions.”
One example Ken shared was the challenge of consistently defining health conditions across facilities. “How do you define an RP (retained placenta)? Everybody in the dairy industry has a slightly different attitude regarding what defines an RP. So, making sure that everybody in our system defined it the same way and entered it the same way so that data analysis and farm management is streamlined, standardized, and simple- those were some of the bigger challenges.”
But Ken quickly added that they haven’t abandoned traditional “cow sense.” Instead, they’ve augmented it with technology and analytics, creating a more precise approach to management.
Their newest facilities in Kansas feature 220-stall DeLaval rotaries with tunnel-ventilated free-stall barns arranged tail-to-tail with common feed lanes. This design optimizes cow comfort, labor efficiency, and operational flow. Their technology includes activity meters for heat detection, milk meters tracking flow and yield, and sophisticated monitoring systems.
I found it fascinating how they’ve integrated this high-tech approach with traditional dairy wisdom. Ken noted that, in some ways, their current team members are even better “cow people” than he and his brothers were, thanks to the combination of data-driven protocols and hands-on training in observing cow behavior and comfort.
Sustainability That Sets Industry Standards
In December 2020, McCarty Family Farms achieved something remarkable- B Corp certification- joining a select group of companies meeting the highest social and environmental performance standards. This makes them one of the few dairy farms globally to meet these rigorous standards.
“As 4th generation dairy farmers, our family has a long-established commitment to environmental stewardship and using our business as a force for good in the world,” Ken explains. “Becoming a Certified B Corp™ amplified our commitment by prioritizing mission-driven collaboration with our partners to drive real, systemic change and create impact at scale.”
What makes their sustainability metrics particularly impressive is how they compare to industry benchmarks:
- Their reduction of 8,474 tons of CO₂ equivalent significantly outpaces industry trends. While the dairy industry has decreased greenhouse gas intensity by 42% since 1971, total emissions increased by 14% due to production growth.
- They implement cover crops on 95% of MVP Dairy’s 4,500 acres, far exceeding typical adoption rates in the Midwest.
- Their innovative manure management aligns with research showing advanced technologies can reduce GHG emissions from manure by 58-80%.
They’ve achieved these results partly through productivity improvements, increasing milk production by approximately 14-15% without synthetic growth hormones. “All that has been achieved by improved feeding, milking procedures, and the elimination of stress,” Ken explained.
Their approach to resource conservation extends to water and energy as well. They worked with Kansas State University to redesign sand reclamation units that now capture over 97% of sand for reuse as bedding. They’ve implemented innovations in smart cow cooling systems that don’t run water when cows leave the pen, and they continuously evaluate ways to reduce electrical usage and fuel consumption.
The McCartys don’t just protect the environment but actively enhance it. They’ve planted trees, created pollinator habitats, and maintained wildlife boxes around their farms. Today, they have more than 58 wildlife boxes and 25 acres dedicated to native plants for pollinators.
According to Danone North America, McCarty Family Farms produces 30% more milk with fewer resources from cows living longer, healthier lives. They became the first farm in the world to achieve the highest animal welfare status from Validus, and they used water collected from the condensing plant to irrigate nearby crops.
A 2024 study from Ireland validates their approach, showing that implementing climate change mitigation strategies can reduce emissions by 12% while increasing farm net savings. The McCartys are living proof that environmental and economic sustainability can go together.
Weathering the Storm: Risk Management in Volatile Times
When I asked Ken about the industry’s biggest challenges, his answer was immediate: risk mitigation in an increasingly unpredictable world.
“They were called black swan events because they were pretty dang rare,” he observed, “but it seems like black swan events happen about every six months anymore.”
He cited several factors: “Consolidation continues to happen. Consumer connection to agriculture continues to dwindle. Geopolitical impacts on the ag world continue to slip further and further from our control.”
The McCartys’ approach focuses on long-term stability rather than short-term gains. Their Danone relationship allows them to take “a much longer-term view of management strategies, investments, and risk management.”
This means:
- Securing energy costs years in advance
- Acquiring more cropland to stabilize feed costs
- Developing relationships with equipment providers to minimize maintenance uncertainties
- Creating systems that can weather market volatility
Ken sees progress in the industry’s ability to manage risk, noting that tools like Livestock Risk Protection (LRP) and Dairy Revenue Protection (DRP) didn’t exist 25 years ago. Still, he acknowledges the challenges of implementing comprehensive risk management while handling the day-to-day demands of a complex agricultural operation.
This focus on stability over speculation starkly contrasts the boom-and-bust cycle that defines much of agriculture. By taking a conservative, long-term approach to business planning, McCartys has positioned itself to survive and thrive through industry cycles that have bankrupted many operations.
A Day in the Life: Where High-Tech Meets High-Touch
What would it be like to spend a day at McCarty Family Farms? I got a glimpse during my visit to their Rexford operation.
The day starts early, as it does on all dairy farms, but what strikes you immediately is the calm, methodical approach of the team. In the control room of the rotary parlor, large monitors display real-time data on each cow’s milk flow, yield, and conductivity measurements that might indicate mastitis and activity patterns.
“See that cow there?” one of the herdsmen points to a dot on a screen. “Her activity spiked last night, and she’s showing all the signs of heat. She’ll be bred today.” This seamless integration of technology and biological awareness is at the heart of their operation.
In the barns, the tunnel ventilation creates a comfortable environment even on a hot Kansas day. Cows lounge on clean, reclaimed sand bedding, and the feed lanes are meticulously maintained. Feed pushers- both automated and human-ensure fresh feed is always available.
One of the most fascinating parts of the operation is watching the communication between the farm and processing plant teams. When a milk tanker arrives at the plant-just, a short drive from the dairy-it’s tested immediately. Results flow back to the farm managers within the hour, allowing for real-time adjustments.
“This morning, we saw our butterfat was running a bit higher than yesterday,” a feed manager explained. “We’re already looking at the ration to see if any changes might have caused that.” This rapid feedback loop creates a level of responsiveness that would be impossible in a traditional dairy model.
The commitment to animal welfare is evident everywhere. Cows move easily through well-designed handling systems, employees use gentle voices and touch when interacting with the animals, and veterinary protocols prioritize prevention over treatment.
The farm’s water reclamation system is equally impressive. Water extracted during the milk condensing process is captured, treated, and reused first for cleaning, then potentially for irrigation. “Nothing goes to waste here,” Ken told me. “That’s part of our commitment to being good stewards.”
The Ultimate Recognition: 2025 Dairy Producer of the Year
All these efforts culminated in March 2025 when Ken, Mike, Tom, Dave, and Clay McCarty were named World Dairy Expo’s 2025 Dairy Producer of the Year. This prestigious award recognizes producers who excel in efficient production and quality breeding while incorporating progressive management practices.
What makes them deserving? Several factors stand out:
- Their vertical integration model gives them greater control over product quality and environmental impact
- Their direct supply relationship with Danone creates economic stability
- Their B Corp certification demonstrates verified commitment to environmental and social responsibility
- Despite their size, they’ve maintained family values and a hands-on approach
- They consistently adopt and adapt technology to improve operations
- With the fifth generation beginning to join, they exemplify successful farm succession
For Ken, success in the dairy industry boils down to something simple yet profound: “Very few businesses ever make it beyond the first generation, let alone the second or the third. We’ve been fortunate enough to survive to the fourth generation, hopefully, the fifth, but not only survive, but we’ve also been able to prosper in the dairy industry, and that’s a hell of a lot of fun.”
He added a sentiment that speaks volumes about their approach to the business: “To be able to survive and to prosper, and to do it in such a way, in an industry that you love being in, don’t feel like I go to work any day, I just get to go do what I enjoy.”
This passion for the work itself is beyond mere business success everything at McCarty Family Farms. When I asked Ken about retirement plans, he answered immediately: “Never. I love what I do.”
The Bottom Line: Lessons for Progressive Dairy Farmers
If you’re looking to apply some McCarty wisdom to your operation, here are the stand-out lessons:
- Vertical integration through on-farm processing can create stability and quality control advantages
- Standardization of protocols across multiple sites enables consistent performance
- Data-driven decision-making complements traditional “cow sense” for optimal management
- Regenerative agriculture practices can improve both environmental outcomes and economic performance
- Strategic risk management creates operational stability in volatile markets
- B Corp certification provides a framework for measuring and improving social and environmental performance
- Thoughtful succession planning is critical for transitioning to the next generation
As one of their team members put it: “The McCartys aren’t just building a business-they’re building a legacy.” This focus on long-term sustainability-environmental, social, and economic positioned them at the forefront of an industry in transition.
Their partnership with Danone has created a model for direct supply relationships in the dairy industry, reducing market volatility while ensuring consistent quality for consumers. The fact that this initial experiment has lasted over a decade and expanded to multiple facilities speaks to its success.
The McCartys’ approach to technology adoption is similarly instructive. Rather than chasing every innovation, they carefully evaluate technologies based on their impact on cow comfort, employee efficiency, environmental footprint, and economic return. When they find something that works, their tunnel-ventilated barn design implements it systematically across their operations.
Perhaps most importantly, they demonstrate that scale and sustainability aren’t mutually exclusive. At nearly 20,000 cows, they’ve built one of the most significant dairy operations in the country while simultaneously setting industry standards for environmental performance and animal welfare.
As I reflect on the McCarty story, what impresses me most isn’t just their growth from 15 to 20,000 cows-it’s how they’ve done it with integrity, innovation, and a genuine commitment to people and the planet. In an era of increasing challenges for family farms, McCarty Family Farms proves that with vision, adaptation, and commitment to excellence, the family farm has a place in modern agriculture and can lead the way.
And that, my friend, is why their recognition as World Dairy Expo’s 2025 Dairy Producer of the Year isn’t just well-deserved- it’s a hopeful sign for the future of dairy farming in America.
Key Takeaways
- Vertical integration creates stability and control: Their on-farm processing plant provides real-time quality feedback, reduces transportation costs, and creates environmental benefits while buffering market volatility.
- Standardized protocols + data drive success: Consistent practices across multiple farms, combined with meticulous data collection and analysis, enable strategic decision-making while complementing traditional “cow sense.”
- Sustainability and profitability work together: Their B Corp certification, regenerative agriculture practices, and resource conservation initiatives have improved environmental outcomes while enhancing economic performance.
- Clear role division prevents family conflict: Each brother has distinct responsibilities that leverage their individual strengths, creating harmony through respected boundaries and shared vision.
Long-term thinking beats short-term gains: Their approach to risk management, succession planning, and infrastructure investment focuses on creating stability in an inherently volatile industry.
Executive Summary
The McCarty Family Farms’ remarkable journey from a 15-cow Pennsylvania operation to World Dairy Expo’s 2025 Dairy Producer of the Year showcases how strategic innovation can transform a family business across generations. After relocating to Kansas in 2000, the four McCarty brothers established a groundbreaking direct supply partnership with Danone in 2010, building an on-farm milk processing plant that revolutionized their quality control and environmental impact. Their operation now spans multiple states with nearly 20,000 cows, implementing advanced sustainability practices that earned them B Corp certification while maintaining clear family governance where each brother manages distinct areas of expertise. Perhaps most impressive is how they’ve balanced cutting-edge technology and data-driven management with traditional farming values and a genuine passion for dairy farming, creating a model that proves family farms can not only survive but thrive in modern agriculture.
Learn more:
- Mastering Dairy Farm Succession Planning: A Step-By-Step Guide – Learn the essential steps for transitioning your dairy operation to the next generation, with insights that complement the McCarty family’s approach to bringing in their fifth generation.
- How Ben & Jerry’s is Using Dairy to Fight Climate Change – Discover another innovative approach to sustainability in the dairy industry that parallels McCarty Family Farms’ commitment to environmental stewardship and B Corp certification.
- LAND WARS: How Savvy Dairy Farmers Are Beating Big Money at Its Own 21500-Acre Game – Explore alternative perspectives on land management and vertical integration that offer thought-provoking contrast to the McCarty family’s approach to controlling their supply chain.
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