McCarty Family Farms in Kansas: History, What It Raises, How It Makes Money and How to Contact It
Profile updated November 2026
McCarty Family Farms is a fourth-generation dairy business based at Rexford in northwest Kansas, with dairies in Rexford and Bird City and an on-site milk processing plant. World Dairy Expo named the McCarty family a 2025 Dairy Producers of the Year honoree, and Governor Laura Kelly marked Kansas Dairy Month 2025 at the farm.
| Location | Rexford (Thomas County) and Bird City, northwest Kansas |
|---|---|
| Founded in Kansas | First Kansas milking April 1, 2000, after a move from northeast Pennsylvania |
| Sectors | Dairy (Holstein); milk processing; grain storage; crop production |
| Scale | Sources differ by date: about 15,000 cows on four Kansas sites (World Dairy Expo, 2025) and more than 32,000 animals in total (K-State, 2025); 230 employees reported by K-State |
| Why it is notable | 2025 World Dairy Expo Dairy Producers of the Year honoree; 2013 IDFA Innovative Dairy Farmer of the Year (per IDFA release title) |
| Ownership | Fourth-generation McCarty family |
| Official website | McCarty Family Farms official site |
History of McCarty Family Farms
The McCarty family dairied in northeast Pennsylvania before looking at northwest Kansas in the late 1990s. A Farm Progress profile reported that Tom and Judy McCarty first looked at the Colby area in 1997 and that the business began with about 1,000 head. Dave McCarty told K-State that the family moved west to build something, and the first Kansas milking took place on April 1, 2000.
Growth came in stages. K-State reports that the herd grew from 3,500 to 7,000 cows during the late 2000s and early 2010s, and that the family built a milk processing plant on the farm with Danone; the first finished product left for Danone's Fort Worth, Texas plant on April 1, 2012. K-State faculty helped with design and development of the operations. K-State says Dave runs the business with his brothers Mike, Clay and Ken, and World Dairy Expo's announcement lists Ken, Mike, Tom, Dave and Clay McCarty as the owners.
What McCarty Family Farms Grows and Raises
McCarty Family Farms milks Holsteins at dairies in Rexford and Bird City, including a large indoor dairy at Rexford, and the family also partners with another farm family in Ohio. World Dairy Expo describes the herd as the world's largest registered Holstein herd and reports Non-GMO Project Verified milk produced for Danone North America. Cow comfort and health are described as paramount at each milking facility.
Beyond cows, the business includes a milk condensing and processing plant, which the 2025 World Dairy Expo release says was upgraded with ultrafiltration and reverse osmosis technology, and a grain storage facility. The Judy McCarty Dairy Learning Center at Rexford hosts school groups and visitors, and K-State reports nearly 1,800 students and more than 6,600 visitors in the past year. Published herd and employee counts vary between sources and years, so treat any single figure as a snapshot.
How McCarty Family Farms Makes Money
Milk sold to a processing partner
The family produces milk for Danone North America, and the on-site plant condenses and processes milk before it ships. Putting processing next to the barns reduces hauling of raw milk, a design K-State says is unusual in the industry.
Registered Holstein genetics
World Dairy Expo highlights the registered Holstein herd. A herd of that quality gives the operation breeding choices and reputation value, although the family has not published genetics sales figures.
Feed, grain storage and regenerative farming
The business lists a grain storage facility and describes regenerative farming and benefits for its team and community as priorities. Controlling feed supply and storage is a major cost lever for any large dairy.
Farm Insight: What Other Operators Can Learn from McCarty Family Farms
Keep processing close to the barn: building processing on the home farm turned a commodity milk stream into a managed supply chain with a single large customer.
Public education is part of the business case. A visitor center with student programs builds community trust in a region where a very large dairy is a visible neighbor, and the McCarty family has invested in it openly.
Growth was staged. Herd size doubled in a few years only after the family secured a processing outlet, a sequence other expanding livestock operations can copy: lock in the market first.
A dairy that moved from Pennsylvania hills to the Kansas High Plains deserves its own chapter in farm satire, and the barn-to-processing-plant commute is the shortest milk run in the business. At farm.FM our farm humor writers admire any herd that sets its own world record, and the ranch humor that follows is purely about how many Holsteins fit on one horizon. We promise the farm jokes stay as clean as a freshly washed parlor.
If the name is new to you, farm.FM is the nation's first satirical farm site, with Tractor Tunes country music for farmers on the side. One of its regular writers keeps a whole archive of stories like that.
How to Contact McCarty Family Farms
Website: https://mccartyfamilyfarms.com/
The operation's domain was identified in a K-State article; no street address, phone or email was available in my research, so use the website to reach the family. Information as of November 2026.
McCarty Family Farms Sources and Agriculture Authority Links
- McCarty Family Farms - Official site of the operation
- K-State profile of Dave McCarty - University feature on the dairy, Danone plant and learning center
- World Dairy Expo award news - 2025 Dairy Producers of the Year announcement
- Kansas Department of Agriculture: Dairy Month - State agriculture department on Kansas dairy
- USDA NASS Census of Agriculture - Official county and state data on Kansas farms and sales
McCarty Family Farms FAQ
Where is McCarty Family Farms?
The business is based at Rexford in Thomas County, northwest Kansas, with dairies at Rexford and Bird City.
When did the McCarty family start milking in Kansas?
K-State reports the first Kansas milking was on April 1, 2000, after the family moved from Pennsylvania.
Who buys the milk?
World Dairy Expo reports the farm produces Non-GMO Project Verified milk for Danone North America, and K-State describes an on-site processing plant built with Danone.
Can the public visit?
The Judy McCarty Dairy Learning Center at Rexford hosts students and visitors; confirm current access through the family's website.
McCarty Family Farms shows how a family dairy can grow by solving the market question before the barn question. For other Kansas operations across grain, livestock and specialty crops, see our Kansas farms guide.