Building the Future of Dairy Farming: How Perkins Twin Creek Farm Balances Tradition and Innovation

What does it take to keep a family dairy moving forward for another generation?

At Perkins Twin Creek Farm in Indiana, the answer isn't simply buying the newest technology or expanding the operation. It's about knowing when to change, knowing what should stay the same, and making thoughtful decisions today that will affect the farm years down the road.

For Mitch Perkins and his family, that responsibility comes with managing a multi-generational operation that spans 2,700 acres, dairy cattle, crops, technology, employees, and multiple family members. Their story is one of looking ahead without losing sight of the principles that helped build the farm in the first place.

Carrying the Weight of a Family Legacy

Running a multi-generational farm comes with a unique kind of responsibility. You're not only making decisions for the business you're managing today; you're also making decisions that could shape the opportunities available to the people who come after you.

At Perkins Twin Creek Farm, Mitch works alongside his father, uncle, and cousins to manage the operation. That means navigating the different perspectives and responsibilities that naturally come with a family business while keeping everyone focused on the long-term health of the farm.

For Mitch, being part of that next generation isn't about simply maintaining what his family has built. It's about figuring out how to make it better while respecting the work and sacrifices that came before him.

Knowing When It's Time to Embrace Technology

One of the clearest examples of that forward-thinking mindset is the family's investment in robotic milking technology.

Perkins Twin Creek Farm installed six DeLaval robots in its freestall barn, a significant investment that was driven in part by one of the biggest challenges facing dairy farms today: labor.

Technology doesn't eliminate the need for people, but it can change how people are used within an operation. For the Perkins family, robotics provided an opportunity to address labor challenges while continuing to maintain their standards for dairy production.

The decision wasn't simply about having newer equipment. It was about looking at the challenges facing the farm and finding a solution that could help the business remain viable in the future.

That distinction matters. Innovation isn't valuable just because it's new. It's valuable when it solves a problem.

Sustainability Has to Include Profitability

For Mitch, sustainability isn't just about environmental stewardship. It's also about whether the business can continue to make money.

That's an important distinction in agriculture. A farm can't simply sustain itself indefinitely without profitability. Eventually, there are bills to pay, equipment to replace, land to maintain, people to employ, and future generations to support.

The Perkins family has found an opportunity to connect sustainability, nutrition, and profitability through their work with high oleic soybeans.

By growing high oleic soybeans, they can use the crop within their own dairy operation while also creating an opportunity to provide that feed source to other dairies. What began as part of their own farm's strategy has become another potential business opportunity.

It's an example of looking at what you already have and asking whether there is a way to create additional value from it.

The Opportunity to Tell Dairy's Story Better

Technology and efficiency are important, but Mitch also sees a larger challenge facing the dairy industry: communicating the value of dairy to consumers.

He believes the nutritional benefits of dairy are often undersold, creating an opportunity for the industry to do a better job telling consumers why dairy matters.

For producers, this is a reminder that the future of dairy isn't determined entirely in the barn.

It also depends on what happens between the farm and the consumer.

The industry has an incredible story to tell about nutrition, food production, agriculture, and the people behind it. Making sure consumers understand that story will continue to be an important part of protecting the future of dairy.

Staying Personally Connected to the Farm

For all the changes taking place at Perkins Twin Creek Farm, one thing hasn't changed: the importance of being personally involved.

Mitch emphasizes the value of knowing what is happening throughout the operation rather than relying entirely on systems or other people to manage the details.

Technology can provide information. Employees can carry out important responsibilities. Data can help guide decisions.

But there is still something valuable about having people who know the farm intimately and care about the outcome.

That hands-on involvement is part of the Perkins family's approach, and it's a tradition Mitch hopes will continue as the operation moves forward.

The Small Decisions Add Up

One of Mitch's biggest lessons is that success in farming isn't always about making one massive decision that changes everything.

It's about the thousands of smaller decisions made along the way.

It's about paying attention to the details. It's about being willing to make improvements. It's about recognizing when something isn't working and having the courage to change it.

Those decisions compound over time.

And sometimes, up-leveling a dairy doesn't mean building something bigger or dramatically changing the operation. It means taking what is already working and figuring out how to do it just a little bit better.

Building for the Next Generation

The future of Perkins Twin Creek Farm will undoubtedly look different from the farm Mitch's grandparents or earlier generations knew.

There will be new technologies, new market challenges, new labor dynamics, and new expectations from consumers.

But the foundation remains familiar: work hard, pay attention, make thoughtful decisions, and take care of what you've been entrusted with.

That's what makes the Perkins family's story bigger than robotics, soybeans, or 2,700 acres.

It's a story about stewardship.

Every generation gets the opportunity to make its mark. The challenge is making decisions that don't just benefit the farm today, but leave the next generation with something worth building on.

And perhaps that's the real meaning of up-leveling dairy: not always doing something bigger, but doing what already matters a little bit better.

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