Once one of the largest tobacco making farms, The Chaney Family Farm has reinvented itself into a profitable dairy operation that has an ice cream shop and movie night.
by Winnie Breeding, Kentucky FSA State Office
If you were to ask Carl Chaney if he thought one day his family farm would be a local hangout for ice cream lovers and movie goers while still creating products that line grocery shelves, his answer would be "no".
In 1888, the first Chaney family moved to the Kentucky area and began farming. Surprisingly enough, at one time the Chaney farm was one of Kentucky's largest tobacco producers with approximately 50 acres of burley tobacco. Carl's father, Jim, began the dairy in the 1940's with two Jersey cows. At first, the dairy operation was simply there to pay for Jim's college expenses, but as the farm grew it turned into a way of life and soon Jim dreamed that one day the milk from his Jersey herd would reach the grocery shelves.
In 2002, Carl and his wife Debra decided to turn that dream into reality. They had been talking to four other operators with similar operations to the Chaney family farm, but they weren't producing their milk for fluid consumption, they were making ice cream. Intrigued by the idea, the couple did some research and decided producing and marketing ice cream would someday open the door to putting their milk in stores.
Carl attended an ice cream making short course at Penn State University and Chaney's Dairy Barn was born. Each and every year profit margins for the ice cream business have grown and Carl attributes that to the Dairy Barn's connection to the community. One highlight of the summer is "Ice Cream and a Mooooovie".
"In five years, the movie night has grown from 60 attendees to 600," said Chaney. The movie night gives people the opportunity to come out with their children and catch a glimpse of what it is like to live on a farm and enjoy Chaney's ice cream while watching a movie come nightfall. "We have so much support from our community that it is crazy to see how far we've come."
The Chaney's rely heavily on the branding of their products as "Kentucky Proud" to market them to the consumer.
"We think we make good ice cream. You can go to other places and eat good ice cream. It's the experience of eating the ice cream on the back porch of the Dairy Barn with the Jersey cows in sight as the sun goes down that makes the difference,” said Chaney. “If we hadn't marketed our product as well as we have, then who knows where we would be," said Chaney. "We've been lucky because we are unique".
Chaney contributes a portion of the success of his operation to the Farm Service Agency. Without FSA's help he may have fallen on hard times trying to manage the dairy herd. In the mid 1990's the operation was struck with a case of botulism that significantly reduced his dairy herd; however, FSA was able to help the Chaney's recover and again build up their operation in the coming years.
On Feb. 12, 2011, Chaney's milk hit the shelves in local stores in Bowling Green, Ky. This day marked the realization of the dream that had begun over sixty years earlier. The milk is available in half gallons and whole gallons, as well as, old-fashioned glass bottles sold at the Chaney’s Dairy Barn main location. All containers wear a label with the signature Jersey cow of the Chaney’s operation “Topsy” as the focal point.
"Debra and I both see ourselves, first and foremost, as agricultural ambassadors," said Chaney. "Opportunities are everywhere to make a difference with someone."
When asked if he believes that Chaney's Dairy Barn is a success, the answer will be “It’s a work in progress."
"We put out little fires each and every day, with hopes that the little ones don't turn into big ones."
