Kansas City, Mo., (Sept. 10, 2025) – Three leaders in U.S. dairy production will be recognized for excellence in their own operations and their commitment to the dairy industry at the 2025 MILK Business Conference, set for Dec. 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.
“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.”
– KAREN BOHNERT
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.
Honorees include:
Leader in Technology: McCarty Family Farms, Colby, Kan.
Kansas-based McCarty Family Farms is home to more than 15,000 milking cows and employs more than 200 people across their four farms and milk processing plant. Their newest location, McCarty Family Farms North, was completed in 2023 and is their 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 the farm growth, their dairy processing plant was also expanded in capacity and 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.
Young Producer: Wybrand Vander Dussen, La Salle, Colo.
Wybrand Vander Dussen grew up in southern California, but the family moved to northern Colorado in 2013 due to the mature dairy market. A few years later, his father passed away from cancer. This did not deter his passion for the dairy industry, and after high school he went on to study animal science at Kansas State University. He would come home from college for the summers to work in the industry.
After graduating from college, Vander Dussen returned to the family dairy that was temporarily run by his uncle Danny. The dairy continued to advance tremendously during the time Danny was there, lending further rapid-fire experience for Vander Dussen.
A couple of years later Danny started his own venture in South Dakota. While he was only a young man a few years out of college, Vander Dussen possessed the work ethic and maturity to take over as the leader of the family operation, and his 4,000-cow dairy has found much success.
The 2025 Young Producer Award is presented by Farm Credit Services of America.
Employee Excellence: Travis Ties, Holdgrafer Dairy, Bellevue, Iowa
Travis 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 owners share that Ties has mentored their five sons both professionally and personally and has become like a 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 owners say Ties is humble, kind, driven and hard-working and has never used his health issues as an excuse.
Ties serves as head of feed operations, as well as an assistant to the crop production. He oversees tillage, planting and harvesting, along with managing employees with the farm’s custom harvesting business. In the winter, he serves as the farm’s mechanic in-between feeding.
Ties leads by example and sees what needs to be done and does it. No job is too small or too large. He is always looking at ways to gain efficiency and productivity on the farm.
The 2025 Employee Excellence Award is presented by Alltech.
Registration for the 2025 MILK Business Conference is still open, and hotel rooms for the event are available at a discount rate until Nov. 10. Attendees that register by Oct. 15 will be entered to win two tickets to the opening round of the National Finals Rodeo on Dec. 4.
Sponsors of the event include:
Elite sponsors: Endovac, Farm Credit Group, John Deere, Merck Animal Health, TDSG
Premium sponsors: Afimilk, AHV International, Idexx, Forage Genetics, Neogen, Rabobank, Specialty Sales LLC
Supporting sponsors: Edge Dairy Farmer Cooperative, Ever.Ag, FutureCow, Laird
Manufacturing, Milc Group, Novonesis, Union Agener
About Farm Journal
Farm Journal is the nation’s leading business information and media company serving the agricultural market. The company serves the row crop, livestock, produce and retail sectors through branded websites, eNewsletters and phone apps; business magazines; live events including conferences and tradeshows; nationally broadcast television and radio programs; and an array of data-driven, paid information products. Farm Journal owns the online equipment marketplace, Machinery Pete LLC. Trust In Food is a Farm Journal initiative dedicated to accelerating the adoption of conservation practices and regenerative agriculture in ways that work for producers and enhance connection to consumers. In 2010, the company established the non-profit, public charity, Farm Journal Foundation, dedicated to sustaining agriculture’s ability to meet the vital needs of a growing population through education and empowerment.
