UTICA, Ohio — Matthew and Bethany McCarty live hectic lives on their Licking County farm.

The husband and wife grew up in the area and purchased slightly over 50 acres near Utica in 2020 where they operate McCarty Farmstead. They raise non-GMO fed and pasture-raised chicken, turkey, duck, eggs and pork and grass-fed/finished beef.

The McCarty’s, like many Ohio farmers, work off the farm. Matthew is a salesman for Bane Welker Equipment and Bethany is Kenyon College’s farm manager. His flexible schedule lets him sprinkle in farm work throughout the day.

“I travel up to an hour and a half away working with farmers getting them their combines, tractors, planters and sprayers,” Matthew said. “Pigs and chickens get hauled in the morning and I’ll take them up there and leave my trailer at one of my customers then see other customers while I’m out there.”

It’s a busy season of life, but the McCartys are building a future for themselves and future generations. The goal is for them both to work full-time on the farm someday.

“Also, creating a multigenerational farm,” Bethany said. “we don’t have children right now, but we would like to have children and pass the farm on to them.”

Off the farm

Bethany grew up growing produce with her dad and sister from the time she was 12 years old until she was 19. She’d help with their 4-acre garden and they’d sell the produce at a local farmers’ market.

“That was my 4-H project then my SAE when I was in FFA,” she said. “I was able to earn my state and American degrees because of the vegetable production.”

Matthew was always around cattle when he was growing up. He got involved with FFA in high school and started working for a grass-fed beef farm. He, too, put in time at farmers’ markets, selling beef and chicken he raised.

Bethany now manages vegetable and egg production and hires and manages the staff that helps run Kenyon’s 10-acre farm. The farm provides hands-on farming and agricultural experiences for students who may choose to pursue agricultural careers.

Bethany also works with the faculty to show how non-traditional ag programming classes could benefit from the farm experience.

“I’m getting ready to reach out to all the professors because we have a nature writing class, and we have an animal minds class and we have de-naturing creative writing class — there’s a lot of opportunities for students to come down with their classes and connect it back to agriculture or back to the farm,” she said.

Students also travel to the McCarty farm for additional real-world experience. “We bring like classes from campus down to the farm so that students get to experience what farming looks like in a regenerative small-scale setting,” she added.

Running the farm and working their jobs leaves little time for a social life, and the couple is getting worn out between traveling for work and preparing for farmers’ markets.

“It’s very difficult to work full-time and farm,” Bethany said.

“Most nights we have dinner at 10,” Matthew added, “We don’t have much of a life outside of the farm — during the summer, we’re pretty well tied down to this place.”

Change is coming, though. Bethany has taken the first step by informing Kenyon that she plans to leave her position next May and work the farm full-time.

Regeneration

The McCartys are committed to using regenerative agricultural practices on their farm, which had been farmed conventionally for years.

“We have erosion and everything else. We are trying to fix the topsoil and bring it back into good health,” Bethay said.

Working with the U.S. Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service, Matthew and Bethany received financial assistance through an Environmental Quality Incentives Program grant to seed the farm and run a water line.

They feed non-GMO grain to the pigs, chickens, turkeys and ducks. The grain is purchased from a local farmer near Buckeye Lake.

The McCartys’ beef herd consists of non-registered Hereford and Angus crossbreeds, or Baldy cattle. They’ve also added a hardy breed of pigs to the farm.

“We found a heritage breed of pigs called Hereford,” Matthew said. “Our pigs are outside, never in a barn so we need hardier pigs that can grow out there. They have a similar coloring to Hereford cattle and it’s kind of cool to tell people we have Hereford pigs and Hereford cattle — they go good together.”

Cornish Cross chickens make up the broiler flock while ISA Browns are the laying hens.

Four farmers markets comprise 90% of McCarty Farms sales. McCarty Farmstead products may be found at the Clintonville Farmers Market, New Albany Farmers Market, Worthington Farmers Market and the Granville Farmers Market.

Livestock

Poultry is the primary moneymaker of the farm with pigs gaining fast and cattle on the horizon.

“Chickens pay the bills but the pigs are catching up,” Matthew said. He added that pork sales have increased this year, particularly at the New Albany Farmers Market.

Despite the time and capital commitment associated with cattle Matthew hasn’t given up on his passion.

“I love the cows,” he said. “We run them all the way, start to finish. We’ve kept 10 heifers back to grow our herd and we’re beefing 10 head a year — but the cost of hay and pasture rent is not generating enough revenue from the beef. Yet.”

There’s a significant difference in the time connected with raising and marketing the three varieties of livestock. According to Matthew, broiler chickens produce revenue within 10 weeks, pigs average about six months, and cattle take roughly two years.

“With chickens, we get a check within 10 weeks,” Matthew said. “It’s two years before I see the money back from beef and then the pigs they’re six months — they’re the next quickest cash turner.”

“We don’t make a lot of money off a dozen eggs, but when you get 100 dozen a week, those couple dollars you make off a dozen adds up over the year, and it’s consistent money every week,” Matthew said.