McCarty Family Farms leads the way with dairy innovation, industry leadership

Tom McCarty’s phone rang. The Pennsylvania State Police called to let him know of complaints from drivers after a small manure spill on a state highway near his farm. It was the straw that broke the camel’s back.

The lifelong dairy farmer’s operation had once been dubbed among the most progressive in the state by the Pennsylvania governor. But now, he faced pressure from threats like urban sprawl, rising environmental regulation and logistical challenges. It all severely limited growth potential for the farm his grandfather had started in 1914. He knew if the dairy was to survive and sustain his family for future generations, something had to change.

So in 2000, Tom, his wife Judy and sons Mike, Clay, Dave and Ken – the farm’s next generation of leadership – headed west…just over 1,400 miles, to be exact. They pulled up stakes and moved to Rexford, Kansas. It’s an arid region with few dairy farms, massive crop fields that could feed the family’s herd and the potential for growth that no longer existed in Pennsylvania. McCarty Family Farms LLC was reborn.

“That phone call was a turning point for him. He realized we couldn’t grow there anymore. The area was becoming less farm-friendly, and environmental challenges were looming. We looked at Nebraska, Oklahoma and western New York before settling in Kansas,” said Dave McCarty, who helps manage the farm that now has 3 locations in Kansas, one in Nebraska and one in Ohio. “When we arrived, there was corn everywhere, feed everywhere and no dairy cows — no competition. It was the place to be."

Slow growth and a community investment

What followed was a few years of conservative, deliberate growth with limited capital investment. The family’s 150-cow herd in Pennsylvania grew to 700 head after the move to Kansas.

"Our goal when we started in Kansas was to have four dairies, one for each brother," McCarty said. "But we quickly realized it wasn’t as easy as we thought. In agriculture, you can be on top of the world one moment and set back for years the next."

This family basis for McCarty Farms’ growth over the years isn’t by accident, and it’s a big reason for their success over the years, said Nationwide Senior Dairy Consultant Dan Rice.

“Respect and understanding for the past and the future has always been the McCarty family’s path to success,” Rice said. “This has been instilled into the family over the generation, most recently by the brothers’ parents Judy and Tom. Much of the farm’s success has come from their leadership and guidance of their sons as they embarked on seemingly impossible endeavors.”

Then in 2007, a chance meeting opened the door to the growth trajectory that would both change life for the McCarty family and the communities in which they work. A community leader from nearby Bird City, Kansas, approached the McCartys with a proposal. Backed by a regional community foundation, the small town wanted a dairy nearby to help revitalize the local school and economy. It proved to be the launchpad the family and community needed.

"We didn’t have the money, but they did. They helped us build a facility there," McCarty said. "Today, we’re milking 3,000 cows in Bird City, and two-thirds of the school enrollment comes from families working at the dairy. It’s been a success story."

Protecting the farm from dairy market volatility

It’s just one example of innovative collaboration that has fueled much of the farm’s growth in the quarter-century since the family’s westward move. Amid a volatile dairy marketplace, McCartys sought a partnership that could futureproof the dairy farm from that volatility and help ensure steady, consistent growth. They saw the opportunity to do just that outside of a traditional, unpredictable cooperative model. They found the right partner in Dannon, a company that shared their vision for a more stable and transparent supply chain.

Since its start in 2011, this direct relationship allowed the farm to move away from reactive, market-driven decisions and focus on long-term strategies. Having a dependable buyer over time has helped. But so has the ethics the family shares with the global food company.

"Our partnership with Dannon has been a game-changer," McCarty said. "They wanted traceability, transparency and reduced volatility. And that aligned with our goals. It’s also helped us improve our cows’ performance and milk production. We’re making more milk per cow than ever before because we’ve been able to stick to a plan and execute year after year."

A large, innovative family dairy farm

Today, the McCarty family now milks around 16,000 cows at five locations with a total herd size of around 32,000. Around 10,000 are milked at the Rexford location that also houses a visitors’ center and milk-condensing plant. The family markets both ultra-filtered and condensed milk around the country. Today, theirs is the largest registered Holstein herd in the world.

But the family’s dedication to growth is only dwarfed by its commitments to cow comfort, sustainability and the innovation that enable them to constantly evolve and advance on those fronts.

“The McCarty brothers don’t just think outside the box. They live there. They create different ways to solve problems that others in the industry only complain about,” Rice said of the family who’s long been a Nationwide customer. “The family’s innovation and dedication to their cows is unparalleled. They have the largest registered dairy herd in the world. But they also have the world’s leading animal welfare and cow care standards.”

Today, that innovation includes the use of ultrafiltration and reverse osmosis technology to maintain the highest levels of food safety. But above all is the daily attention to the farm’s family roots.

"Our operation has grown significantly, but we’re still a family business. My brothers and I own it, and the only way to stay in the business was to keep growing. I understand why people might see us as a corporate farm, but I’ll go toe-to-toe with anyone on cow comfort and care,” said Dave McCarty, adding he and his brothers grew up “with shovels and pitchforks in hand” and milking cows before school every morning. “Our milk quality is worlds better than it was when we started. Back then, we were milking 150 cows in a tie-stall barn, and now we’re milking 16,000. We’ve seen all sides of the industry, and while growth has its challenges, it’s been necessary for survival."

The McCarty family’s commitment to industry leadership, innovation, animal comfort and regenerative production practices all contributed to it being awarded Dairy Producers of the Year at the 2025 World Dairy Expo in October 2025 in Madison, Wisconsin. 

Telling the farm’s story through social media

Today’s food consumers are as far away from the farm as they’ve ever been. But they’re beginning to demand more about how their food is produced. Restoring that connection is part of the McCarty family’s daily work today, with both its Visitor’s Center at the Rexford location and its social media presence. It’s a “different world” that McCarty says has become just another part of his job description.

"We’ve also had to adapt to changes in the market. We have over 90,000 followers on TikTok and millions of views on our videos. It’s amazing how much interest there is in watching cows run onto a rotary. It’s a different world, but that’s progress,” McCarty said. “We’ve also built a Learning Center at our facility in Rexford to educate people about what we do, why we do it and how we do it. It’s important to tell our story because if we don’t, it will be told by people who don’t understand it. We have a responsibility to share our knowledge and ensure the next generation understands the challenges and opportunities in agriculture."

See more about McCarty Family Farms LLC.