Family Dairy Churns Out Local Milk to Save Farmland

From the Hatcher family’s small country store, visitors can see the rolling forest and pastureland that make up the 400-acre Hatcher Family Dairy Farm.

Directly across the street is a churned-up swath of earth that will soon become an 18-hole golf course with 850 homes, a clubhouse, spa and coffee shop.

The new development is an all-too-tangible sign of what’s happening to many dairies throughout the country, the Hatchers say. But the family has no plans to sell their fifth-generation farm. Instead, in a final effort to save their dairy business and make it profitable for years to come, they have drastically changed the way they operate.

“We knew we had encroaching development, and the costs of fuel and fertilizer are rising,” says Charlie Hatcher, a veterinarian and partner in the dairy business with his brother, Jim. “If we wanted to stay here and make a go of it and be profitable, we had to try something different – some way to add value to our product.”

A Brand of Their Own

For decades the family sold its pasture-derived product to a milk cooperative, which combined the Hatchers’ milk with milk from other farms before sending it to be sold in stores.

But in 2007, the Hatchers branded their own milk and started selling straight to the public, tapping into a growing niche market of consumers who prefer to buy their food straight from the source.

“A lot of people are concerned about where their food comes from and how the animals are treated,” Charlie says. “And they like to know who they’re dealing with.”

Hatcher Dairy all-natural milk is sold at Whole Foods as well as in several local grocery stores. They also opened their own country store – right on the farm – to sell milk directly to area consumers.

All in the Family

The Hatchers – a tight-knit farming family with an unwavering sense of loyalty to their land and heritage – are ideal candidates for this sort of back-to-the-basics venture.

Brothers Charlie and Jim have been partners in the dairy since the early 1990s, and the entire family pitches in to keep things running smoothly.

Jim is the farm manager, and he also takes the lead during processing day and makes some milk deliveries. Charlie’s wife, Sharon, manages the family’s country store, and Will Wallace – nephew to Charlie and Jim – handles marketing and pitches in with dairy processing and deliveries. Charlie’s daughter, Jennifer, is a veterinarian who runs the family’s veterinary business and helps to feed calves and milk cows. Charlie’s son, Charles, is a full-time student at Middle Tennessee State University who does a majority of the milking and feeding, and Lucy Hatcher – sister to Charlie and Jim – helps with processing and applies most of the labels by hand along with her daughter, Jessica.

The Milking Process

Part of the farm has been in the Hatcher family since 1831, and they’ve been milking cows continuously since that time – either by hand or by machine.

These days the Hatchers have about 60 adult milk cows, including Holsteins, Jerseys, cross-breeds and two Brown Swiss heifers. The cows graze in pastures year-round, rotating among 11 paddock lots planted with seasonal grasses – a major selling point.

“Our cows get clean, fresh pasture on a daily basis, and that is the huge thing that sets our milk apart,” Jim says. “It’s strictly Hatcher milk, and we’re with it every step of the way – from growing the grasses and milking the cows to processing. It’s ensured quality.”

“We wanted to let milk drinkers know a little bit about the cows that are working so hard,” Charlie says. “We wanted to personalize it. The majority are named, and they’re all part of the Hatcher family.”

The Hatchers’ signature chocolate milk is named “Brownie’s Best” after a beloved Brown Swiss cow that lived on the farm for many years before she died. The farm also produces whole milk, two percent and skim, and plans are in the works to add butter and ice cream.

But first the Hatchers have to get their own processing facility up and running on site, which could happen in the next year. Since May 2007, they have been working with Middle Tennessee State University, which owns a small dairy processing plant on campus in Murfreesboro.

Through a pilot marketing agreement with MTSU, they’ve been learning how to pasteurize and process their own milk while testing the market for their brand.

So far, the public has been incredibly supportive.

“It’s been so rewarding because of the people who drink our milk,” Charlie says. “On a daily basis people say, ‘We appreciate what you’re doing, we’re glad it’s local and we’re glad it’s family.’”

Loyal Customers

In addition to milk, cream and other dairy products, the Hatchers sell lots of other all-natural, locally made products, including soap, candles, salsas, jellies, barbecue sauces, cheeses and free-range eggs. The store also offers sandwiches, soups, salads, fresh flowers, Hatcher-brand tote bags and T-shirts – and visitors can check email using the free Wi-Fi.

“Some days I’m overwhelmed,” Sharon says of business at the store, “and it’s mostly been word of mouth.”

They’re hoping the momentum continues.

“We all work very hard, and there’s still not a lot of profit involved,” Jim says. “But selling the land is not an option. We feel it’s not really ours to sell. We’re just going to try to pass it on to the next generation.”

As the golf course and housing development take shape across the road, the Hatchers are determined to make the best of it.