Joe's milking set-up is somewhat different from the other Hartzler family dairies in that he owns and operates a tie-stall barn. Most dairies use a milking parlor system whereby the cows are herded into a lot or holding area and wait to be milked four to six at a time. A tie-stall barn basically provides each milking cow with their own stall. Each cow can then be fed and cared for on an individual basis during the two daily milking routines.

Joe's barn also has a big, homey feel to it. All the lights are encased in Mason jars on which swallows build nests every year. According to Joe, the swallows, which he affectionately refers to as "skeeter hawks," return to the barn the exact same week each spring.

Joe, the sixth Hartzler son, says his first job on the family farm was taking care of calves, feeding and watering them, a job which he now passes on to his own children. Joe returned to the current location in 1983 after a brief stint in aeronautical school. He has been a devout follower of his father's, Harold, organic farming methods ever since.

DID YOU KNOW? There are approximately 294,000 milk cows and 6,000 dairy farms in Ohio. from Ohio Department of Agriculture