In the ever-evolving world of agriculture, McCarty Family Farms has developed a pragmatic approach to addressing the numerous challenges they face. These challenges are categorized into three distinct time frames: near-term, midterm, and long-term.
Near-Term Challenges: Labor and Weather
For the McCarty team, near-term challenges frequently involve labor shortages and unpredictable weather patterns. According to Ken McCarty, one of the owners of McCarty Family Farms, labor and weather are persistent issues, particularly in northwest Kansas.
“We’re dealing with a major short hitch in rain,” he noted, highlighting the immediate impact these elements have on their operations.
Midterm Challenges: Unpredictable Events
Moving to the midterm challenges, McCarty identifies factors that are largely beyond their control. Events such as the Covid-19 pandemic, the ongoing war in Ukraine, and their subsequent effects on fuel and commodity markets exemplify these difficulties.
“Those sort of ‘black swan events’ that used to be once in a decade now appear to be occurring yearly or every couple of years,” McCarty explained. In response, the farm aims to price-proof their operations, ensuring they can withstand these unpredictable shifts.
One unexpected midterm issue that McCarty Farms faced was the Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI), which was not on their 2024 radar. Nonetheless, their prior planning for foreign animal disease outbreaks allowed them to quickly adapt and take necessary actions. As they put it, “It’s those types of events that are midterm challenges that we’re always trying to prepare for.”
Long-Term Challenges: Global Market Conditions and Water Conservation
When looking toward the long-term horizon, McCarty Farms is deeply concerned with understanding market conditions from a global perspective. One significant topic gaining momentum in Europe is non-deforestation, impacting global markets for beef, protein, exports and water.
Of all these long-term issues, water scarcity stands out as the most pressing concern for McCarty Farms.
“A decade ago, we started working closely with the state of Kansas, external partners, and our farmer partners to reduce our water footprint and preserve water here in Northwest Kansas,” McCarty shares. This initiative has included significant investments in various technologies to combat water scarcity, such as infield technology, soil moisture probes, and precision irrigation.
The McCarty’s efforts extend to innovative water conservation methods in their milk processing plant.
“One of the driving forces behind why we built a milk processing plant here was water reclamation and reducing our water footprint,” he says. The farm continues to explore and implement new technologies for cow cooling and high-pressure fog systems in barns. The balance between the cost of implementation, maintenance and ultimate water savings drives their decisions in this area.
As McCarty Family Farms continues to address these challenges head-on, their strategic approach serves as a model for resilience and sustainability in agriculture. By preparing for both predictable and unforeseen events, they are pioneering a way forward for the dairy community.
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