Tarter Farm and Ranch a global leader
Homegrown equipment company known for quality manufacturing
The story of how a Kentucky family built its homegrown business into the world’s largest manufacturer of farm and ranch equipment is rooted in the simple concept of creating products that make life easier for those who live on a farm or ranch.
Seventy-five years after C. V. Tarter handcrafted his first wooden farm gates for farmers in Dunnville, Tarter Farm and Ranch Equipment is a fourth-generation, family-owned business with more than 1 million square feet of production facilities in Kentucky and Utah.
The company prides itself on developing products by paying attention to what the customer wants and needs to efficiently work their land. One recent example is its Dura Tough Small Animal Feeder, developed in response to the growing interest in raising small livestock like goats and chickens.
Tarter rigorously tests each new item, including testing by the family and employees on their own land.
“We can say confidently Tarter products are built to last and will truly improve life on your land,” says Executive Vice-President Ann Tarter. “We stand behind every American made product we sell. Customers can feel confident knowing they’ve purchased products of the highest quality and that will last a long time even in the toughest conditions.”
Reliable power is lifeblood
The same can be said of the global company’s imprint in Casey County. Tarter employs more than 1,000 people at its facilities in Dunnville and Liberty, which are served by Taylor County Rural Electric Cooperative.
“Our community is so fortunate that Tarter calls Kentucky home. We’re proud to power their operations and to count their employees as our consumer-members,” says Barry Myers, Taylor County RECC manager.
“If there is one thing I’ve learned in the nearly 20 years working for Tarter Farm and Ranch it is that to be successful in business you must have a good relationship with your business partners,” says Anthony Hale, master electrician at Tarter. “I think that Taylor County RECC and Tarter Farm and Ranch are a great example of that.”
As Tarter’s electrical manager, Hale says he has worked with nearly every department of Taylor County RECC and that the co-op works hard to ensure quality, reliable power that enables Tarter to continue growing.
“Electricity is the lifeblood of manufacturing,” Hale says. “If a storm comes through and we have an outage, I know I can depend on the folks at Taylor County RECC to get our power restored in a timely manner. Taylor County RECC has been a major contributing factor in Tarter becoming the world’s largest farm and ranch equipment manufacturer right here in rural Dunnville, Kentucky.”
