Mar 23, 2026
By Stephanie Eckroat
Returning to the family dairy farm near Valley Center has always been the goal for Sedgwick County native Maggie Gilles. For five years, Maggie and her husband Donny built their careers in Wisconsin. Donny worked as an engineer and Maggie served as an associate editor for Hoard’s Dairyman, a magazine she fondly describes as the “home and garden publication for dairymen.”
But Kansas was always home.
Donny, who grew up on a small dairy farm in Minnesota, understood that from the beginning.
“He always knew that part of the deal,” Maggie said. “That we would probably relocate home and that home was Kansas.”
That shared vision became reality in 2020, sparked by a conversation with Maggie’s parents about the future of the family dairy.
Today, the farm milks around 120 registered Holstein cows three times a day. Their herd is a point of pride, averaging about 90 pounds of milk per cow each day, more than 10 gallons per animal. In addition to milk production, the family raises and develops replacement heifers, while also marketing high-quality females to other dairy operations. Their cattle are known for being well-grown, strong and ready to enter production.
The farm has embraced modern practices to stay competitive, including artificial breeding with sexed semen to increase the likelihood of heifer calves. This strategy supports both herd growth and their ability to meet market demand.
Caring for the herd is a full-time commitment. Family members and employees spend nearly 18 hours a day milking, feeding, cleaning and tending to the animals, work that reflects their deep dedication to the operation.
Sustainability and self-sufficiency are also central to the farm’s approach. The family grows most of its own feed, including corn silage, haylage and shell corn, relying on outside sources only for supplemental byproducts to balance cow feed rations.
When Maggie and Donny returned to partner with her parents, Bob and Marcella Seiler, they knew the dairy industry was changing. With fewer farms nationwide and increasing consolidation, they had to carefully consider rising costs, labor challenges and shifting markets.
In one pivotal conversation, Bob summed up their options simply, “We either need to get big or get weird.”
For Maggie, “weird” meant innovation.
That mindset sparked the idea of creating an on-site creamery in Sedgwick County. After extensive planning and early design work, the dream began to take shape. The family was awarded a grant through the Dairy Business Innovation Alliance, helping offset the cost of food-grade processing equipment.
Hoping to soon operate as Seiler Dairy Creamery, the family is looking ahead to a planned 2027 launch. Their goal is to offer bottled milk for retail sales, coffee shops and farmers' markets.
But their true passion lies in cheese.
“It all started with cheese curds in Wisconsin,” Maggie said. “We had this real desire to replicate what we were eating.”
As construction and product development begin, the family is eager to connect more directly with consumers and share their story.
“We are so proud of what we produce,” Maggie said. “And we get to chase the hobby we love.”