Dairy Makes Treats From Cow To Cone
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Fourth-generation Kentucky dairy farmer Carl Chaney and his wife Debra faced a tough decision in 2003. They needed to decide whether to sell their purebred Jersey dairy herd or take it to a new level by marketing their milk differently and directly to the consumer.
“Debra and I went on a fact-finding tour, and the plan we settled on was to capitalize on using our high-butterfat Jersey milk to make great ice cream,” says Carl. The plan gradually took shape, and today, Chaney’s Dairy Barn claims to be the only dairy in Kentucky that makes ice cream from its own milk. An added bonus is that Chaney’s Dairy Barn has become a destination for tour and school groups. The brand has become well-known throughout Kentucky and beyond.
Along the way, the Chaney’s built a new dairy barn with a state-of-the-art Lely Astronaut robotic milking system and a milk-processing facility that operates under the name J. R. Chaney Bottling Co. The operation sells 3,000 to 4,000 gal. of branded milk weekly to Kroger stores and other retailers. Carl’s daughter, Elizabeth, manages the bottling company.
It’s the award-winning ice cream, however, that’s Carl’s pride and joy. “We like to say that we control the ice cream all the way from the cow to the cone,” he says. The company website offers tempting photos of more than 50 colorful ice cream varieties with names like Cookie MOOnster, Cow Tracks, Nutter Udder, and Cowentine’s.
Most of Chaney’s ice cream is sold on-site at the Dairy Barn, which is also a restaurant and gift shop. During the summer, they offer “Chaney’s Ice Cream and a Moovie,” a free event for children and their families. “We recently had more than 400 adults and kids who came to eat ice cream and watch ‘Finding Nemo,’” Carl says.
Other amenities at the farm include a playground with jumping pillows and meeting space for groups, along with self-guided tours of the dairy barn and its robotic milking system. Self-guided tours cost $4/person and have audio and video stations that explain how the dairy farm operates. Educational tours are available for area school groups. Chaney’s also operates several ice cream concession trailers at regional gatherings and events and for fund-raising activities.
In June 2023, Chaney’s Dairy Barn was featured on Guy Fieri’s All-American Road Trip on the Food Network.
Carl says Chaney’s Dairy Barn has grown 8 to 10 percent annually, thanks to the family’s dedication and working many different revenue streams. “We knew all along that the answer for us was agri-tourism, so it’s gratifying to see how the business continues to flourish,” Carl says.
Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Chaney’s Dairy Barn, 9191 Nashville Rd., Bowling Green, Ky. 42101 (www.chaneysdairybarn.com).
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Dairy Makes Treats From Cow To Cone DAIRY EQUIPMENT & IDEAS Fourth-generation Kentucky dairy farmer Carl Chaney and his wife Debra faced a tough decision in 2003 They needed to decide whether to sell their purebred Jersey dairy herd or take it to a new level by marketing their milk differently and directly to the consumer “Debra and I went on a fact-finding tour and the plan we settled on was to capitalize on using our high-butterfat Jersey milk to make great ice cream ” says Carl The plan gradually took shape and today Chaney’s Dairy Barn claims to be the only dairy in Kentucky that makes ice cream from its own milk An added bonus is that Chaney’s Dairy Barn has become a destination for tour and school groups The brand has become well-known throughout Kentucky and beyond Along the way the Chaney’s built a new dairy barn with a state-of-the-art Lely Astronaut robotic milking system and a milk-processing facility that operates under the name J R Chaney Bottling Co The operation sells 3 000 to 4 000 gal of branded milk weekly to Kroger stores and other retailers Carl’s daughter Elizabeth manages the bottling company It’s the award-winning ice cream however that’s Carl’s pride and joy “We like to say that we control the ice cream all the way from the cow to the cone ” he says The company website offers tempting photos of more than 50 colorful ice cream varieties with names like Cookie MOOnster Cow Tracks Nutter Udder and Cowentine’s Most of Chaney’s ice cream is sold on-site at the Dairy Barn which is also a restaurant and gift shop During the summer they offer “Chaney’s Ice Cream and a Moovie ” a free event for children and their families “We recently had more than 400 adults and kids who came to eat ice cream and watch ‘Finding Nemo ’” Carl says Other amenities at the farm include a playground with jumping pillows and meeting space for groups along with self-guided tours of the dairy barn and its robotic milking system Self-guided tours cost $4/person and have audio and video stations that explain how the dairy farm operates Educational tours are available for area school groups Chaney’s also operates several ice cream concession trailers at regional gatherings and events and for fund-raising activities In June 2023 Chaney’s Dairy Barn was featured on Guy Fieri’s All-American Road Trip on the Food Network Carl says Chaney’s Dairy Barn has grown 8 to 10 percent annually thanks to the family’s dedication and working many different revenue streams “We knew all along that the answer for us was agri-tourism so it’s gratifying to see how the business continues to flourish ” Carl says Contact: FARM SHOW Followup Chaney’s Dairy Barn 9191 Nashville Rd Bowling Green Ky 42101 www chaneysdairybarn com
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