ALIQUIPPA, Pa. — There’s an excitement of rebirth on the Brunton Dairy farm, in Beaver County, Pennsylvania. It is evident in the pace of construction workers, the raising of new barns and the delivery of new equipment.
When completed, the improvements and buildings will total a $3 million investment in the future, spurred on by a community that showed its love to the Brunton family when their world came crashing down around them.
Oct. 26, 2023 was a typical day on Brunton Dairy, a farm started in 1839 that stretched back seven generations. The first softening shadows of evening began to be seen on the sides of the barn, when suddenly, electricity to the farm failed. Then the entire milking barn and bottling plant at the back of the farm was engulfed in flames.
Cows bellowed as neighbors and family members tried to push them out. Shouts between family members were heard. Emergency fire services were called, with a total of two dozen fire departments responding.
When it was over, 12 of the 105 milk cows were killed in the blaze. The others milled about as family members and neighbors rushed to corral them and save whatever they could.
Thankfully, no humans were injured and the family took a step back, grateful for the community around them and shocked at what had happened. What was left of the barns was smoke and ash. Family members hugged and cried. It was a heavy emotional toll.
That was 10 months ago, and the resilient Brunton family stands strong, rebuilding and improving and moving forward.
What to do?
Mary Jane Brunton said that it was the strength and coming forward of neighbors, friends and even strangers that convinced them all that they were a staple in the community and that they should, indeed, rebuild. The kindness that they experienced from everyone was both unbelievable and overwhelming.
“We didn’t talk about it for a while. At first, everything just seemed like chaos and we still had work to do,” said Mary Jane Brunton. “But the Lord provided what we needed at the time. Everything just worked out.”
Indeed, former dairy farmers Don and Barb Craig offered their dormant milking facility and barns to house 80 of the cows. Another 10 cows were housed at another nearby farm. The Craigs had just restored electricity to their barn and so it was ready to receive the displaced cows. For that, the Bruntons are forever grateful.
Herb Brunton has a quick wit and a razor-sharp sense of humor that obviously has gotten him through his many years of work here at the farm. When asked about the decision to rebuild, or even his decision to become a dairy farmer, the corners of his mouth grow into an irresistible grin.
“We just never went anywhere else. This is our life. I mean, it just proves that stupid is hereditary,” he said. “I mean, where else are you going to convince someone to work 17 hours a day, every day?”
It’s true that dairy farming is a profession with no time off. No vacations. No holidays. But it’s also evident that Herb Brunton, his brother Ed, his sister-in-law Mary Jane, his nephews Jim and Jerry and all other members of the Brunton family are far from stupid and are, in fact, savvy business professionals with an eye to serving others by producing high-quality dairy products.
“We had so much support. People who came to us and asked how they could help us. People we never knew. I had no idea,” he said, shaking his head. “I never knew we were so popular!”
The GoFundMe charitable account, which raised $175,185.00, along with the insurance settlement and other community fundraisers, have gone a good ways toward making things affordable, but not so much that it won’t continue to be a struggle for a while. Mary Jane Brunton said that it will take them some time even after they open fully to do a full financial turnaround.
And Herb doesn’t sugar-coat the hard work it has all meant. Here, in the middle of the warmest summer on record in terms of 90-plus degree days, he’s been making the trek over to the Craigs’ barn, which is a 20-minute drive each way, three times per day.
“I definitely don’t like the commute,” he said.
But just then, Mary Jane’s granddaughter, Katie, comes around a corner with her 4-H cow in tow. She is sturdy, strong and well-versed in the farm, able to control the animal with a maturity well beyond her years. At 13 years old, she readily admits that she loves the farm, loves the cows and loves the work. She, and others like her, are why the Bruntons see a bright future as they seek to fully reopen by March 2025.
The future
Jim Brunton seems thoughtful about the changes. You can see the hope reflected in those eyes. He opens the box briefly where the new robotic manure collector resides, checking out the engine and seeking to understand this machine that will be employed in the barn 24 hours a day. He doesn’t say much, but he is friendly and smiles, nodding in agreement with other family members as they describe the ordeal they’ve all been through these past months.
Herb pipes up, eager to share the intricacies of the new equipment.
“I call it a Pooper Hoover,” he said, saying it’s not unlike a Roomba robotic vacuum cleaner for the home. “And it’s going to run around 24 hours a day taking care of the manure. And we don’t have to pay it when it works overtime,” he said, obviously delighted with the prospect.
Jerry Brunton explains further that the robotic manure collector will have a dumping station as well as an area where it will recharge.
Milking computers stand stalwart in various parts of the new barn. Painted a shiny bright red, they hail from a company headquartered in Holland. The units in the Brunton barn were shipped in from Iowa.
But it’s the new free, no-tie stall milking facility that has Jerry and Herb beaming. They are thrilled at the many features. Before the fire, they had a tie-in milking area, and the cows were led to the process a couple of times per day. The new milking barn, with excellent ventilation, will allow the cows to choose their time of milking, and robots will make short work of it. That will definitely be a difference, and the Brunton family looks forward to the much more modern way of dairy farming. It will save them time and energy, but, as Herb and Jerry point out, will certainly be different.
Herb points up to the ceiling, where there will be 30-foot fans constantly moving the air. He points to the ventilation of the barn, able to be shut off from extreme weather elements and precipitation by curtains that can be lowered when needed.
He’s pleased with the new ridges in the concrete foot bath, where cows will receive weekly copper sulfate treatment to keep hoof lesions and microbes at bay. The cows have always received that kind of treatment, but the area in this new barn will hopefully provide them with a wider and more comfortable, less awkward path to getting this task accomplished.
Mary Jane added that the computers will measure the milk and give all kinds of data that will be helpful in terms of monitoring production.
The family said they will “see how it goes” when they first re-open fully. They plan to service all of their current retail selling outlets, and they’ll open the farm store, with its delectable chocolate and white milk. Home delivery is still something that is only percolating, but they haven’t made a decision yet whether to re-institute that branch of the business.
Mary Jane, who as a young teen had only just begun to think about her future, married at age 18 and became an integral part of the Brunton Dairy Farm from that time until the present. She is no stranger to challenges, having lost her husband suddenly from a farm accident in 2008, and yet she has a calm and peaceful demeanor and is eager to see what dreams unfold for all the members of the family.
“It’s tough. You have to rely on His strength. You can’t do it on your own,” she said.
