Meet Toey Courtney | Dairy Farmer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Toey Courtney and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Toey, can you tell us more about your background and the role it’s played in shaping who you are today?
Born and raised in Waco, Texas. Got involved in FFA and realized I enjoyed agriculture. Majored in Agricultural Economics at Texas A&M. Served in the Navy and eventually was able to return to agriculture some time after discharge.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
We are a small family dairy farm selling our milk and dairy products direct to our consumers. Our business was inspired by our oldest son’s interest in and fondness for dairy cattle at a young age. His success in dairy judging led to his being awarded several dairy heifers which confirmed his desire and comittment to the dairy business. We were able to survive as a small dairy only by supplementing the dairy with contributions from my outside employment. The dairy business in the years following our opening became brutally competitive to the point that there are presently less than 10 percent of the number of dairies nationwide that were operating in 1993 when we commenced operations. By 2007 we recognized that we could not survive without an improvement in our market. As a result we decided to try marketing our own raw(unpasteurized) milk. Fortunately Texas had become a ” raw milk legal” state although the state health department along with the federal FDA is heavily biased against it. We eventually added pasteurized products along with (pasteurized) milk to increase our sales volume. Several factors enabled us to survive: a good paying outside job to supplement our income, the most efficient breed of dairy cattle with the best quality milk(Jerseys), a determination to stay in business, an increasing public awareness of and concern for good nutrition, and finally and most importantly a Creator God who looked favorably on us. We do want all who know us to be aware that our products are 100% satisfaction guaranteed and we ARE concerned with our customer’s health and welfare.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
We have a number of very good resturants in Winnsboro along several fast food establishments. To mention some : Mexican Food- Peralta’s, Hope, Tino V’s, La Conchita. Italian:- Angelo’s. Steakhouse- Barrelhouse . South African- Leife leVine. American- Z’s Buffet- Hope. As for entertainment – school activties are a social event here along with our annual Autumn Trails events during the entire month of October. For outdoor activities there is excellent fishing/skiing and hunting available throughout our area. Our Winnsboro center for the arts has theatrical as well as music events regurlarly throughout the year. Most of our church ministers are very involved in our social and civic life here and are an excellent source for meeting exciting and influential people. Early summer brings our annual Winnsboro rodeo. There are some large dairies(unlike ours) which are interesting to observe and learn how they operate.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Brady Courtney, Linda Courtney

Website: Jerseygirlsmilk.com

Image Credits
Michelle Wallace