Kansas Dairy Farm To Be Honored At Industry Conference

Three leaders in U.S. dairy production will be recognized for excellence in their operations and their commitment to the dairy industry at the 2025 MILK Business Conference, December 2-3 at the Paris Las Vegas Hotel & Casino. This year’s honorees include standout individuals and organizations in the categories of Leader in Technology, Young Producer and Employee Excellence.  Nearly 500 conference attendees will honor the 2025 Milk Business Award winners for their contributions to the advancement of the dairy industry and their own operations.

Recognized as a Leader in Technology is McCarty Family Farms, based in Colby, Kansas. It is home to more than 15,000 milking cows and employs more than 200 people on its four farms and its milk processing plant. The newest operation is McCarty Family Farms North, which opened in 2023 and is McCarty’s most innovative dairy yet. Eight inverted six-row, tunnel-ventilated freestall barns house 10,000 Holsteins that are milked on two technologically advanced, 120-stall DeLaval E500 rotary milking systems, some of the largest in the world. This carousel-style milking machine benefits the animals’ health and well-being by providing a predictable, efficient milking routine.

To accommodate its growth, McCarty’s processing plant has expanded its capacity and was updated in 2023 with the latest technologies including ultrafiltration and reverse osmosis. Milk and dairy ingredients from McCarty Family Farms is Non-GMO Project Verified for Danone North America, the leading maker of yogurt in the U.S. McCarty Family Farms operates as part of Danone North America’s ‘cost-plus’ model, which helps the dairy avoid market swings.

As part of their commitment to sustainability, McCarty Family Farms also uses on-site anaerobic digesters that generate 450 million BTUs of renewable energy daily, which is enough to power approximately 2,500 homes annually.

The MILK Business Conference’s Young Producer honor will go to Wybrand Vander Dussen, La Salle, Colorado. Vander Dussen grew up in southern California, but his family moved to northern Colorado in 2013. He attended Kansas State University and earned a degree in animal science.  After graduating from college, Vander Dussen returned to the family dairy, and a couple of years later expanded operations into South Dakota, growing it into a 4,000-cow dairy farm. The 2025 Young Producer Award is presented by Farm Credit Services of America.

The Employee Excellence award will be given to Travis Ties, Holdgrafer Dairy, in Bellevue, Iowa. Ties serves many roles at Holdgrafer Dairy, home to 400 cows in northwest Iowa. He has been employed at this farm for more than 25 years. The dairy owners note that Ties has mentored their five sons both professionally and personally and has become a virtual member of the Holdgrafer family. Personally, Ties has overcome a lot. He battled leukemia as a child and was not expected to live to see his high school graduation. The treatment ruined his kidneys and later he received a life-saving transplant from his mother. This all speaks to his character. The dairy owners say Ties is humble, kind, driven and hard-working and has never used his health issues as an excuse. The 2025 Employee Excellence Award is presented by Alltech.

“MILK Business Conference not only empowers dairy producers with the critical knowledge and skills they need to thrive and grow their businesses, but also recognizes the people who inspire others and make this industry great every day,” said Karen Bohnert, Farm Journal’s dairy editorial director. “We are looking forward to connecting with producers from across the country at the event and honoring this year’s award winners for their contributions to the industry.”