Turning a Sour Situation into Sweet Success at Chaney Farms

When Registered Jersey breeders think of Chaney Farms, a pair of matriarchs likely comes to mind—Greenridge FW Chief Althea-ET and Generators Topsy. The two are of such significance that the Chaney family used the first letters of their common names for their prefix, Al-Top.

Truth be told, another cow developed by the Chaneys may be as famous—Al-Top Century 629-317, known as “Miss Glimmer” to thousands of dairy-loving connoisseurs. Although she crossed the Rainbow Bridge in 2020, her granddaughter, Al Top Lemonheads Genevieve, this month’s cover girl, is now carrying the torch as brand ambassador for Chaney Farms.

These icons are recognized outside the dairy community as the queens of the herd that produces milk for Chaney’s bottled milk and ice cream, sold wholesale and at Chaney’s Dairy Farm in Bowling Green, Ky.

Last year, the on-site processing plant bottled over a quarter of a million gallons of milk and churned more than 30,000 gallons of ice cream. Nearly 16,000 visitors toured the farm through organized and self-guided tours, and a million came through the store. Thanks to its growing popularity, Chaney’s Dairy Barn now ranks #3 on Tripadvisor’s list of top attractions in Bowling Green.

Business is booming again this year, with year-over-year revenue up 34% for March. The plant is now processing 26,000 lbs. of milk from the Chaney herd every week, along with 20-25,000 lbs. of milk from another producer.

Milk is turned into ice cream or bottled as whole milk, 2% milk, chocolate milk, half and half, and eggnog and strawberry milk in season. Wholesale products are sold primarily to Houchens, the restaurant food distributor What Chefs Want!, and Kroger, along with several local grocers, markets and eateries in the Bowling Green, Lexington and Louisville areas.

Born from Necessity, Grown from Urban Sprawl

The business is currently owned by the fourth generation, Carl Chaney, and his wife, Debra, and is operated with the help of several other family members and 45-50 employees. Carl’s niece, Doré (Baker) Hunt manages the dairy herd.

The farm, processing plant and store are situated on 54 acres of land that has been farmed by the Chaney family since 1888. Initially, they raised chickens, pigs, mules and tobacco. In 1940, the family ventured into the dairy business when Carl’s father, Jim Chaney, purchased two Jersey cows. The Chaney’s shifted their focus to the cows and were milking about a hundred in the 1980s.

Another turning point for the farm came in the early 2000s, when milk prices slumped, and production costs soared. In 2003, Carl and Debra took a leap of faith and opened Chaney’s Dairy Barn, serving ice cream and cold dishes like chicken salad and soup.

About five years in, they saw an opportunity to expand the business when visitors to the recreation park across the street began requesting other options, like burgers and fries. This sparked the first expansion: an enlargement of the dining area and kitchen and the installation of a hood system for fried foods in 2008.

The latest expansion has been driven by rapid development in the area. About 10 years ago, the largest middle and high school in the state was built half a mile north of the Chaney farm. Across the road, a 100-acre field once used for corn and soybeans is now being transformed into a subdivision with 315 homes. The population of Bowling Green itself has grown more than 16% in the past decade.

“With all this going on around us, we knew it was time to grow again,” noted Carl. “We held off until after COVID-19 to make sure everything would settle down, then began construction in December 2023.”

The renovation at Chaney’s Dairy Barn wrapped up in October 2024. The 10,000-square-foot expansion has additional space for dining and storage and enhances the “cow to cone” experience. Visitors can watch ice cream being made in a new viewing area inside the store, then head to the barn to see where it all begins. The robotic milker is enclosed in glass on one side and lined with bleachers, giving guests a front-row seat to the milking process. Upstairs, a large window offers a bird’s eye view of the cows as they eat, drink and lounge on the bedded pack.

From a business standpoint, the dairy barn purchases milk from the farm and pays a fee to the plant for processing. In turn, the dairy barn receives all income from sales and agritourism.

“We will pay the farm $28 per hundredweight this year,” Carl explained. “That’s the same price we paid last year and what we plan to pay next year. Everyone knows the price, so they can plan ahead and answer the question: are we where we need to be?”

But even at this premium, it is hard to make ends meet on a small dairy farm, said Carl.

Agritourism has been the saving grace. Guided tours run $8 per person while self-guided visits are $4. And let’s be honest—who leaves without a cone, a glass of chocolate milk, or the Grand Champion, the restaurant’s best-selling sandwich? Between tour guests and their add-ons, it all adds up.

“If it weren’t for tourism, I’m not sure the cows would still be here,” Carl summed. “The tours have essentially paid for the robot.”

Founded on Registered Jerseys

At the heart of the business, of course, are the cows. Jim Chaney, a recipient of the American Jersey Cattle Association’s (AJCA’s) most prestigious honor—Master Breeder—built an exceptional herd that subsequent generations have continued to develop.

Jim purchased the first famous matriarch, “Topsy,” as a 10-year-old at the HVF Dispersal in 1977. Despite her age, the 1973 National Grand Champion was still going strong. She went on to become the breed’s first Excellent-97% cow at 13 years of age, completed 17 lactations in all, and won the 1985 Jersey Journal Great Cow Contest.

“Althea” was purchased in 1990 as a six-year-old from Comfort Hill Jersey Farm. This brood cow extraordinaire impacted Jersey genetics across the globe through her 60 progeny, which included 15 sons in A.I. sired by 11 different bulls. In 2003, when Jim was named Master Breeder, she had more than 20,000 direct maternal line descendants. She placed second in the 2000 Jersey Journal Great Cow Contest.

“There is a deep sense of pride and joy associated with the legacy of Jim Chaney,” said Doré. “It has been a huge motivator for us, not just to take full advantage of what the breed has to offer, but to continue to improve each generation born on the farm.”

The Chaneys have relied on AJCA programs for years, including REAP. The 60-cow herd has a 2024 herd average of 19,237 lbs. milk, 866 lbs. fat and 679 lbs. protein and includes 10 Excellent and 44 Very Good cows. In late 2019, they started using JerseyTags and quickly discovered some unexpected advantages.

“The legible information on each tag not only helps us manage the herd,” noted Doré. “It also helps the general public learn more about each animal.”

The Chaneys installed their first robot, an A4 Lely, in 2016 and upgraded to an A5 in 2022. They also use a Juno automatic feed pusher and a Discovery Collector for manure, both by Lely. Cows are housed on a compost-bedded pack.

“We embraced automation because we were doing lots of farm tours, and knew this technology would be very attractive to teachers,” said Carl.

The Chaneys raise feed for the herd on 50 acres, double-cropping corn used for silage with wheat and rye grass. They rent another 15 acres to grow wheat and rye and purchase local alfalfa hay.

The Goodness of Jersey Milk

“I think one of the reasons our sales have been so great is because they start with Jersey milk,” remarked Carl. “When we decided to sell milk, we knew we wanted to include all the extra cream. So instead of bottling the standard 3.25% milk, which most people purchase at the store as whole milk, we sell whatever the cows are producing. Right now, that is about 4.8% butterfat; that is what goes into the bottle.”

“Once we get a customer, they are hooked,” Carl continued. “They don’t want to switch back because there is nothing that tastes like full-fat Jersey milk.”

Jersey milk also makes a tremendous difference in ice cream. Instead of the 12-14% fat that is used to create most premium ice cream mixes, the content in the Chaney mix is 16%, which is termed as super-premium.

Chaney Dairy Barn’s products have earned awards in high-level competitions and the business has been recognized by media personalities as well.

“We submitted ice cream to the Los Angeles International Dairy Competition the past two years and will again this year,” remarked Carl. “We have received multiple gold medals and a perfect score of 100 for our chocolate milk. I think this is due to the extra fat and because we put a lot of work into our ice cream and dairy products.

“Most people don’t send their ice cream off to be judged,” he continued. “But it helps us find potential issues, like maybe it needs to be creamier or maybe the solids aren’t where they need to be. This is the kind of feedback we use to improve our ice cream.”

Being featured on Guy Fieri’s All-American Road Trip (Season 2, Episode 1) has also done wonders for business.

“After that aired in June 2023, we had all kinds of people coming in and saying, ‘I saw Guy’s show and wanted my kids to come see the cows,’” noted Carl.

Chaney’s Dairy Barn was named the state’s #1 ice cream parlor by USA Today and was highlighted in an episode of Global Child: Travel with Purpose featuring Bowling Green, which has aired in 65 airports across the country. In addition, Abby Hornacek visited the farm in November 2022 to milk a cow for the Fox Nation series Park’d.

From the Horse’s Mouth

This kind of interest shows consumers are genuinely eager to learn more about where and how their food is produced and the farmers who do it.

“A lot of what we do is education,” said Carl. “We’ve got to do this because nobody else can tell our story. Everyone else has a reason for doing it. We do not. We are out there with the cows, working with them and milking them every day.”

He continued, “People often ask why I don’t just hire someone to handle the tours. I am not sure I could pay someone to do this well. I try to be there almost every day because I believe visitors appreciate the person giving the tour and being able to ask questions, knowing they will get knowledgeable answers.”

As with any business that welcomes the public, there is always potential for misunderstandings or misconceptions.

“When we opened the farm to visitors, we knew there was a chance someone might see something they didn’t like,” Carl admitted. “But we are very comfortable hosting guests. We take pride in keeping the grounds mowed and fences repaired, and post plenty of signs to guide visitors on where they can and cannot go.”

In recent years, people have come in droves, largely through word of mouth. The farm now offers 2-4 school or group tours daily from April through October and self-guided tours on demand until 5:30 p.m.

Beyond farm tours, a variety of activities and events draw guests to Chaney’s Dairy Barn, including Ice Cream and a Moovie during the summer, a corn maze in the fall, and Breakfast with Santa in the weeks leading up to Christmas.

“For the movie event, we project the show on one side of the dairy barn and people watch it sitting in lounge chairs or on blankets on the lawn, with the cows in the pasture as a backdrop,” Carl explained.

The event draws a crowd thanks to its free movie screenings and playground access. Add ice cream or dinner from the restaurant, and you have an affordable and fun way to spend a weekend evening.

“We typically see around 200 people on Friday and Saturday nights, but there have been times we’ve had as many as 500 or 600,” Carl noted.

For the Chaneys, the most rewarding aspect of entrepreneurship has been the relationships they have built over the years, with customers, employees, and often, people who are both.

“I remember a young boy, probably around 5 or 6 at the time, who used to come for ice cream every day when we first opened in 2003,” Carl recalled. “It was cool to see him return at 17, this time looking for a job.”

“Kids who met here have also gotten married and now have kids of their own. It has been fantastic to be a part of that, to be a part of employees’ lives, providing them a living as we provide one for ourselves.”

The “G” Family

For those in dairy, a love for cows comes naturally. The real surprise is how much interest they spark beyond the farm. Then again, maybe it is not so surprising. Elsie, the iconic face of Borden, was once recognized by 98% of Americans, her fame rivaling Mickey Mouse.

For the Chaneys, “Miss Glimmer” was a natural choice as their ambassador. Born in July 2003, she was sired by Altheas Century-ET, a “Centurion” son out of “Althea,” and a granddaughter of Sweet Grass Duncan Glimmer {6}, a foundation cow the Chaneys bought at the Sweet Grass Dispersal in 1995.

“Miss Glimmer” completed 10 lactations and was appraised Excellent-92%. She was backed by three Excellent dams, and her daughter (the dam of “Miss Genevieve”) was Excellent as well. With “Miss Genevieve” appraised Excellent-91%, this branch of the “G” family includes six generations of Excellents.

For many years, they celebrated June Dairy Month with Miss Glimmer Appreciation Day. When she passed away in 2020 at 17, the local TV station covered the story.

“People know ‘Miss Glimmer’ because she was on every single tour for probably eight years,” Carl noted. “Even today, people stop me and ask, ‘How is Miss Glimmer?’”

When her daughter calved in 2016, the Chaneys shared a photo of the calf on Facebook and announced: We need a name. She is from the G family. Her mother’s name starts with a G, so we need a name that starts with a G as well.

“We had almost 600 recommendations,” Carl said. “That’s how ‘Miss Genevieve’ got her name.”

One of the most rewarding aspects of breeding Registered Jerseys for me personally is seeing the interest in our cows, said Doré. “It has been awesome to see how much the community loves our cows, that they remember ‘Glimmer,’ and are interested in hearing about her descendants in the herd today.”

As for “Miss Genevieve,” the descendants of “Topsy” and “Althea,” and the rest of the herd, the future looks bright. Now it’s just a matter of seeing what the Chaney family dreams up next and where the journey will take the herd and their dairy-loving customers.

Feature Photo: The Chaney family—Jessica Chaney Steele, Reed Steele, Matt Steele, Addison Steele, Jet Harper, Jacob Hunt with Rebecca Hunt, Dore Hunt, with “Miss Genevieve” and Stanley Hunt, Carl Neale and Debra Chaney, Haeden Chaney, Ilah Chaney, Randi Chaney, James Neale Chaney, Emmersen Chaney, Elizabeth Chaney Lunsford and Chase Lunsford with River Lunsford—operates Chaney Dairy Farm in Bowling Green, Ky. Photo courtesy Carrie Byrd.