DEERFIELD — The University of Massachusetts Extension through the New England Green Pastures Program has named Bar-Way Farm its 2025 Massachusetts Dairy Farm of the Year.
According to New England Dairy, the award “recognizes a dairy farm that demonstrates overall excellence in dairying through its quality milk production; outstanding pasture, crop and herd management; and sustainable environmental practices, among other criteria.”
Peter Melnik, the fourth generation of farmers at Bar-Way with his brother Mark Melnik, runs the farm alongside his family. When he heard the news of the award, his first thought was his 77-year-old father, farmer Steve Melnik.
“I was really happy for my dad,” Peter Melnik said. “I think most people who work a 9 to 5 job can’t comprehend the amount of time and effort that he puts into his business; it’s mind-boggling.” He called the award, “a nice way to round out [his dad’s] farming career.”
Peter Melnik’s great-grandfather Stephen Melnik founded Bar-Way as a produce farm in 1919 with tobacco, onions, other produce and a small herd of cows. Stephen’s son Walter expanded the farm from 40 to 400 acres and 20 to 250 cows at just 16 years old. In 1987, Walter’s sons, Steve and Bill Melnik, grew the farm another 400 acres.
Besides the Melnik name, the farm is a far cry from its beginnings, with 675 cows and 900 acres of crops. The cows — which even wear monitors that track their steps, health and chewing — produce more than 10 million pounds of milk annually for the Dairy Farmers of America co-op. The co-op sells milk through brands such as Garelick Farms, Guida’s Dairy and Friendly’s Ice Cream.
“One of the keys to our success is that the previous generation, instead of stifling growth and opportunity, my father wanted me to put my stamp on the farm. My son is back here and he’s doing his thing,” Peter Melnik said.
Peter Melnik’s father, Steve Melnik, sold the state the development rights to a portion of the farmland as one of the first participants in the Agricultural Preservation Restriction Program. According to mass.gov, the program protects agricultural land by preventing companies from building on the land for non-agricultural purposes, paying the farmers the difference between the fair-market and agricultural values.
“People told him that he was crazy for selling his development rights, but in some ways, it helped our farm grow, and we’ve reinvested the money in more land,” Peter Melnik said. “He’s not afraid to try new things.”
Peter Melnik’s own mark on the dairy farm strengthened its commitment to sustainability.
In 2016, Peter Melnik and his team installed an anaerobic digester, partly as a response to a 2014 state commercial food waste ban. With the help of Wellesley renewable energy company Vanguard, a $400,000 grant from the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center and a $335,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service, the farm installed a roughly 100-foot-by-50-foot digester tank.
According to Peter Melnik, the digester processes cow manure and about 100 tons of food waste per day from between 50 and 60 companies, like the Coca-Cola distributor in Northampton, Whole Foods Market in Hadley, Tree House Brewing Co. in South Deerfield and New England Natural Bakers in Greenfield. Inside the 105-degree digester, microbes and bugs break the waste down and produce methane.
“We capture it with the roof, and then we burn the methane in an engine and the engine turns a generator that makes electricity,” Peter Melnik explained. With enough energy to power about 800 homes, this electricity flows to Deerfield’s power grid.
“It’s been a fun adventure,” he said.
Between its digester, milk and crops of butternut squash, pumpkins and garlic, Peter Melnik said, “The diversity helps us survive when one of the entities is not doing as well as the others and the markets change.”
Despite the diversity, Peter Melnik added, “The cows are the core. … For us, it’s really been the evolution of the cow.”
The farmer described Bar-Way as a family business with innovation in its roots.
“We take a lot of pride in what we do,” Peter Melnik said, adding that he works long days and nights with his family.
He quoted his grandfather’s favorite advice: “You’re like a team of horses; if you pull together, you can get a lot of work done, but if you pull apart, you’ll get nothing done.”
Chuckling, Peter Melnik added, “And he farmed with horses, so he would know.”