In 1984, John went into farming with his older brother Jeff, working the original family dairy once operated by Harold.
"I enjoy working the land and the benefits of raising my family on the farm," John says. It would be a gross understatement to say he does not want chemicals to be any part of his farming.

"Right now we are just focused on producing a quality product for our customers," says John. "We have paid our dues and done a lot of investment in both time and money to make Hartzler Family Dairy's natural milk become a reality. This is a big step for us," he admits. "It's not for everybody. You've got to have a lot of heart."

What keeps John going through the relentless task of dairy farming and dealing with an overwhelming volume of regulations?

"The literally hundreds of people who have never been able to drink milk, writing us and telling us that they can drink our milk now and they love it," he answers with a satisfied smile.