WATERLOO -- The fraternity that operates the rapidly expanding Crave brothers dairy farm and cheese factory here takes family farming to a new level.

Each brother has a specific role to play: Charles handles the bookkeeping and feeding; Tom oversees crop production and farm maintenance; Mark manages the herd and personnel; George runs the cheese factory.

This melding of expertise that has produced award-winning cheeses on a farm implementing the latest in environmental technology has earned the Crave brothers one of the dairy industry's top awards: Dairymen of the Year.

"I think one of the keys to success is to have common goals," said George Crave, president of Crave Brothers Farmstead Cheese, which along with Crave Brothers Farm, is at W11555 Torpy Road, north of Waterloo and northeast of Madison.

Some of those immediate goals include the more than $1 million cheese factory expansion set to open in a couple weeks; constructing nine new buildings, including seven cattle barns; and steadily expanding their herd.

"We're under a very aggressive expansion program," George Crave said.

A long-term goal is to bring in the next generation -- referred to as "G2s" -- into the business, George Crave said.

The buzz of activity at the farm gives the feeling of a small campus under construction. The expansion has been accelerated since the farm was chosen to host Wisconsin Farm Technology Days in July.

"They're a very innovative family organization that works well together," said Patrick Geoghegan, senior vice president for corporate communication for the Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board. "They're real role models, I think, for the rest of the dairy industry. In a very short period of time, they've become award-winning cheesemakers."

In the last 30 years, the Crave Brothers have created a successful and environmentally sustainable farm, in addition to launching a farmstead cheese plant producing six award-winning cheeses.

Started small

The brothers grew up on a 40-cow dairy farm near Beloit. They started farming together on a rented farm in Mount Horeb in 1978, milking 55 cows, and purchased their current dairy farm in 1980. They now have about 2,000 cattle and milk about half of them.

The brothers built the cheese factory in 2001. Milk is piped 325 feet underground directly from the dairy barn to the cheese factory.

The factory expansion, which doubled the building's size, will allow Crave Cheese to add more varieties of cheese in addition to making better use of the whey byproduct through cream cheese and ricotta.

The upcoming list of products includes single-wrapped rope cheese, like string cheese but thicker; a gourmet shredded mozzarella for pizza; and cheese curds.

Crave Brothers' cheese is sold in groceries throughout Dane County and Wisconsin and is distributed to 15 other states.

The milk not used to make cheese, about 30 percent of the total amount produced on the farm, is sold to Dean Foods in Illinois.

While George Crave is president and his wife, Debbie, is vice president of Crave Brothers Farmstead Cheese, all four brothers participate in running the entire farm operation.

"The board of directors are the four Crave brothers," George Crave said.

Recognizing that each brother is different, with individual interests, helps the business to run smoothly, the brothers say.

"You have to treat each other both as a brother and as an adult, professionally, Tom Crave said, adding that being in business with family has its benefits, even during the stressful times. "You can talk to each other and bounce ideas off each other," he said.

Operational efficiency

Industry observers say family farms continue to thrive because it can be a more efficient way to operate.

"We're seeing more and more of that as investment costs of dairying are higher now," said Geoghegan of the Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board.

Rod Nilsestuen, the state's agriculture secretary, said the Craves, like some other cheese producers in Wisconsin, are finding a niche.

"The Craves are an excellent example of what's happening here," Nilsestuen said. "They've grown their herd size from a more traditional size operation to a sizable dairy operation. They decided to capitalize on the incredible growth, especially in artesian farmstead cheeses."

Wisconsin cheesemakers have developed 43 new varieties of cheese in the last three years, he said.

"Now we're producing 46 percent, almost half of all the speciality cheeses produced in the United States."

Ten years ago, there was a lot of pessimism in the state's dairy industry, with the average cheese plant operating at 70 percent capacity, Nilsestuen said.

Today, that's turned around with dairy farmers sharing a vision that diversity and specialization make a much stronger industry, he said. "You find the niche and the demand is there."

An industry leader

Dairyman of the Year is one of the top four awards at the World Dairy Expo in Madison.

Other awards include Dairy Woman of the Year, Industry Person of the Year and International Person of the Year.

Judges review the nominations, and the selections are approved by the World Dairy Expo board.

Brothers have won the award twice before, but the Crave foursome is the largest group yet.

"It's unusual for it to be presented to a set of brothers," said Lisa Behnke, marketing manger of the World Dairy Expo, which presented the award in October.

"They are successful dairymen, but they are also phenomenal stewards of the land," Behnke said. "They are very ecologically and socially conscious," she said.

An example of the technology that set the Craves apart is their on-site manure digester that turns manure into gas, mainly methane, which is used to produce enough electricity to power the farm and 100 area homes.

Geoghegan said although Wisconsin has more manure digesters (about 20) than any other state, it's still relatively unusual technology for farms.

The award has been presented for 39 years and 10 of those have gone to Wisconsin dairy farmers. About a dozen people are considered each year, Behnke said.

"When you're honored there ... it's because you truly are the best in the country, if not globally," she said.

Charlie Crave said that while the brothers knew they had been nominated, to receive the award was a "pleasant surprise."

"It was just really such an honor for us to be chosen," he said. "To get the award still chokes me up yet."

CRAVE BROTHERS FARMSTEAD CHEESE

Address: W11555 Torpy Road, Waterloo

Phone: 920-478-4887

Web site: www.cravecheese.com

Products: A fresh and rope mozzarella, mascarpone and a European-style cheese called Les Frères.

Employees: About 35

FARM TECHNOLOGY DAYS

Where: Crave Brothers Farm, W11555 Torpy Road, near Waterloo

When: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. July 21 and 22 and 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. July 23

About the event: It's the state's largest outdoor agricultural show, highlighting the latest technology in production agriculture.

Expected attendance: More than 80,000 visitors and more than 1,000 commercial exhibitors

Web site: www.wifarmtechnologydays.com

CRAVE BROTHERS FARM - BY THE NUMBERS

1,000 — Number of cows milked daily.

2,000 — Total number of cows and heifers on the farm.

1,800 — Number of acres on the farm.

30,000 — Pounds of milk produced per cow per year.

100 — Number of homes powered by an anaerobic manure digester that creates enough power to run the farm and cheese plant.

1,000 — Number of people who tour the farm and cheese plant annually.