“People tell me they never knew what I did here,” McDonald said.

Nestled in Kimmel Township, Bedford County, Dancing Star Farms provides a variety of heirloom grains to local, regional and national distilleries throughout Pennsylvania and the United States.

The farm was founded as a 175-acre dairy farm in 1960 by his parents, Roy and Jean McDonald. Robert worked with his parents on the farm for more than 50 years. His passion for growing corn began when he planted corn seed in his sandbox when he was five years old.

Due to the challenging economics of the dairy industry in 2010, the farm began producing beef and corn.

Robert McDonald holds ears of heirloom Bloody Butcher corn that he grows at Dancing Star Farms in Kimmel Township. Mirror photo by Walt Frank

Heirloom corn was first harvested in 2011 from two pounds of corn seed planted in the garden. That began Robert’s passion for different types of heirloom corn.

“I got into colored corn as a novelty, and after I grew it I needed somewhere to go with it. I started knocking on the doors of local distillers. We have about a dozen varieties of all different colors, each color has a different flavor profile,” McDonald said “Bloody Butcher, Ohio Blue Clarage, Wapsi Valley and Minnesota 13 are my biggest sellers. They all have a story behind them that makes them popular.”

McDonald also grows Keystone Rosen Rye; his farm is the first in Pennsylvania to grow and harvest this rye in more than 50 years.

Dancing Star Farms is a partner of the SeedSpark Project to grow and harvest Keystone Rosen Rye, a project created by the Delaware Valley Fields Foundation to restore long-lost heritage grains to the Delaware Valley and throughout Pennsylvania, generating economic opportunities for local farms and agricultural communities.

McDonald has been a partner of the project since 2019.

Rosen, like all rye, is a notorious cross-pollinator, so his farm’s isolation from other rye fields is essential in maintaining the purity of the varietal.

“I met Bob back in 2015 when I was seeking out farmers who were interested in working with distillers. He attended several fundraising events for the Delaware Valley Fields Foundation and became familiar with the project as he developed his own heirloom corn business over the years. He volunteered to act as our ‘seed bank’ for Keystone Rosen Rye in 2019 and has since flourished in this niche market,” said Laura Fields, founder and CEO of the Delaware Valley Fields Foundation.

McDonald believes he is best known for selling quality products and has customers from as far away as Florida and Colorado.

“It is pretty cool, I get a lot of publicity. I would say it has been crazy, it has been a fun ride,” McDonald said.

Iron City Distillery in Creighton is his biggest customer.

“He grows all of our Keystone Rosen Rye, he has been a fantastic partner. We also buy different corns. He agreed to make a blend for us out of Minnesota 13 and Wapsi Valley and we are loving it,” said Matt Strickland, master distiller. “As a small distillery, we focus more on flavor, Bob’s corn may cost a little more, but the flavor makes it worth every penny.”

Feebs Distilling Co. in Milford, Del., has been using McDonald’s heirloom corn for four years.

“His heirloom corns, with their high starch content, produce a much higher yield than GMO corns. The natural sweetness the heirloom corns add to our bourbon is incredible. We also use Dancing Star Farms heirloom corn for our unaged straight corn whiskey, which is incredibly smooth and easy to drink,” said owner Eric Fibelkorn.

Still Hollow Distillery, of Harman, W.Va., uses McDonald’s corn for several reasons.

“He successfully grows varieties most farmers don’t or can’t grow. He was willing to take a specific Bloody Butcher corn seed we provided and grow it for us. He also offers the option to shell and grind the grain, which is important to us. The quality of the corn is top-notch. It is very well dried, cleaned and packaged and makes delicious spirits,” said distiller Athey Lutz.

McDonald also has satisfied local customers, including the recently opened 814 Distillery at Pinecroft.

“They provide the highest quality raw materials of any supplier of grains that we have ever used. We are very lucky to have somebody with products of their quality so close to our location,” said Perry Flaugh, head distiller. “Bob McDonald could not be any nicer and he is extremely knowledgeable about the products that he provides. While he provides products nationwide, he has even offered to grow products that we may request that only we would use.”

Another satisfied customer is Disobedient Spirits LLC of Homer City.

“We make our 1794 Rye whiskey with the Danko Rye. I have been told by several customers that we have the best tasting rye whiskey in Pennsylvania. We get our corn from him as well for our Liberty Bourbon,” said Denise Swain, production manager.

McDonald, 62, said he hopes to continue growing the business and has no plans to retire.

“I would like to keep going and pick up some new clients,” said McDonald, a 1979 graduate of Claysburg-Kimmel High School. “Farmers don’t retire, they fade out with the sun. I am slowing down a bit but my mind is still going 20 miles per hour. I will cut back on cattle (he has 100) to a smaller herd; grain is less work and more money,” McDonald said.

Mirror Staff Writer Walt Frank is at 814-946-7467.