Jared & Marla Kurtz have three children: Jase (5), Selah (3) and Weston (1). They farm with Jared’s parents, Tim and Deborah Kurtz, in Elverson, Pennsylvania, 40 miles northwest of Philadelphia, and are members of Land O Lakes. The Kurtz’s milk 300 Holsteins in two different barns. 60 cows are milked in a tie stall barn and 220 cows are milked by 4 Lely A4 Robots in a newer freestall barn. They raise all of thier own replacement heifers and grow most of their own forages, double cropping with corn and small grains, using 100% no-till.

Courtney and her husband Dustin are part of the 2019 YC Advisory Council and members of Southeast Milk. They farm in central Florida, approximately 80 miles south of Disney World. They milk a total of 2,000 Holstein cows twice a day at three farms, all located in Hardee County: 1,200 cows at Zolfo Springs Dairy, 350 at Wauchula Dairy, and 450 cows at Lemon Grove Dairy. The three sites use rotational grazing, which helps manage costs. It also allows for a more simplistic management style that permits them to focus on what matters most: their cows and making milk.

Taryn Martin is the 2019 YC Secretary and member of Tillamook County Creamery Association. She works on her family’s farm, which started all the way back in 1906. Currently, they milk around 950 cows – all registered jerseys – using a carousel that milks 32 cows at a five-minute rotation. The farm is located on the Oregon coast in Tillamook County. The Pacific Ocean is only 15 minutes away from the farm.

Brian and Rachel Detwiler are the 2019 YC Vice Chaircouple and members of Maryland & Virginia Milk Producers Cooperative Association. They are the fourth generation to operate Maple Kroft Farm is in Sinking Valley, Pennsylvania. They currently farm 285 acres, milk 180 cows (mostly Holsteins), have 180 replacements, and milk three times a day in an 8-stall, step-up parlor. The cows are housed in sand-bedded free stalls. They are raising four boys: A.J. (14), Aiden (11), Andrew (9) and Abram (6).

Paul and Nancy Pyle are the 2019 YC Chaircouple and are members of the Michigan Milk Producers Association. They farm on a sixth-generation dairy (170 years) in Zeeland, Michigan. They milk around 140 registered Holsteins in a double-8 parallel parlor, housed in sand-bedded freestalls. They also farm 265 acres of corn, hay, wheat and soybeans. Paul and Nancy have been married for 14 years and have five children: Emily (11), Andrew (10), Megan (8), Chelsea (6), and James (5). Nancy is the preschool director at Zeeland Christian School.

Jonathan Vander Dussen is a farmer member of Select Milk Producers and current NMPF board member. He lends a hand on his family’s three different farm operations, which are located in Clovis, New Mexico, and milk a total of 10,000 Holsteins. The work is divided up within the family: Jonathan, his parents Randy and Jenise, and his brothers: Sybrand, Daniel, Bryan and Cody.

Daniel Perazzo, member-owner of Dairy Farmers of America (DFA), farms as part of Perazzo Brothers Dairy in Fallon, Nevada, which has been in operation since 1941. Daniel’s great grandparents started with just six milking shorthorns. Today, he is the fourth generation, milking 1,100 Holsteins.  Thanks to a DFA powder plant built in Fallon four years ago, Daniel and his family were able to build a new milking parlor that was finished shortly after the plant began operating.

Capstone Farms is a fourth-generation dairy farm and member-owner of Dairy Farmers of America. Lindsay Mitchell currently milks 215 registered Holsteins with her father, Bob Steinberger Jr. The dairy is in Windthorst, Texas, a small dairy community just northwest of Dallas-Ft. Worth. Lindsay’s husband James takes care of the crop work, and farms on his own. They also have a cow/calf operation. They have two children, Jack, 3, and Baylor, 1.

Corey and Kaitlyn Miller are members of the 2018 YC Advisory Council, representing Upstate Niagara Cooperative. They farm in Erie County, New York, about 20 minutes from Buffalo. In partnership with Richard and Lucille Janiga, the Millers milk 400 Holstein cows three times a day thanks to several employees. Corey and his wife started dairy farming in May 2013 with just 120 cows on a rented facility. They are now in their fourth year of farming alongside the Janigas. They hope to buy out the partnership over time and become a more efficient operation.

Alex Ode is a farmer-member of Land O’ Lakes, Inc., and member of the 2018 YC Advisory Council. As a fifth-generation dairy farmer, he operates Royalwood Farms – located east of Sioux Falls, South Dakota – alongside his father, uncle and grandfather. They currently milk 340 Holstein cows in a double-eight parallel parlor three times a day, and house them in a six-row, sand-bedded free-stall barn. They also farm 800 acres of corn and alfalfa.

Alex has been married to wife Alicia for almost five years, and they currently have a 15-month old daughter named Ava. Alicia is a registered nurse at Vance Thompson Vision.

Will and Lauren Butler are members of the 2018 YC Advisory Council, representing Southeast Milk, Inc. The Butler family has been farming for more than 80 years. Today, their operation is situated in Highlands County, Florida, directly on the Kissimmee River. While Will’s parents own Butler Oaks Farm, he has served as manager alongside older brother Ben for the past 10 years. They manage the 1,100 cow milking herd, which is housed in a free-stall management system. Butler Oaks milks mainly Holstein cows, with a few Brown Swiss and Jersey-Crosses. The farm has undertaken several environmental projects to control the phosphorus and other nutrients. Today, all the water on the farm is collected and treated or reused.

Will and his wife Lauren have been married eight years and have a daughter named Claire, 2. Lauren is the Okeechobee County UF/IFAS Extension Director and Livestock Agent.

Jennifer and Justin Malott are the 2018 Young Cooperator Chaircouple and members of Maryland & Virginia Milk Producers Cooperative Association. They own and operate Misty Meadow Farms, where they milk 150 Holstein cows.