The Burdette family is celebrating 50 years of membership with Maryland & Virginia in 2024. The family owns and operates Windy Knoll View Farm in Mercersburg, Pennsylvania.
James and Nina Burdette began the farm in October 1974, just months after getting married. The couple now have two sons and six grandchildren, with one of the sons, Justin, handling much of the operation with his wife, Claire. The family has about 130 head in the herd and farms 340 acres of both owned and leased land.
“It has been a wonderful place to raise our children and be together,” Nina says.
The Burdette's have won dozens of awards for their cows and the lineage that they produce, including the 2020 USA Elite Breeder award from the Holstein Association and multiple Premier Breeder awards, including at World Dairy Expo. Granddaughters Reese and Brinkley also have numerous awards showing cows from Windy Knoll View. The two youngest members of the family know how important longevity is to the farm’s success.
“Staying somewhere for 50 years - that’s pretty cool,” said Reese. “It makes you feel like you play a role in something a lot bigger than yourself.”
But above all, the family hopes they are recognized for the incredible product that leaves their farm each day.
“We want consumers to know that we work hard to produce quality milk made with love from our family farm,” says Claire.