Merry Water Farms started when Thomas Ledger purchased his first 40 acres of land two miles south of Geneva Lake in Linn Township in 1852.  Thomas and his wife Frances built a small log cabin where they lived until 1869.  They acquired 240 acres of land during that time.  They built a large frame house, which still stands on Hillside Road.  During their marriage, eight children, four girls and four boys, were born.

The youngest of these children, Walter Edward, was married in 1893 and the old creamery which was on the farm was remodeled into a house for him to live in.   Walter rented the farm to his sons Albert and Walter Mahlon and worked it on shares until 1916.  Walter Mahlon enlisted in World War 1 and when he returned, his brother Albert had owned the farm and Albert sold 80 acres in the mid twenties. After Walter Edward’s death, the farm was sold to Lester Leedle in 1939.  Leedle made improvements on the buildings and built a new ranch style house.

Walter William (Walter Edward’s grandson) bought the farm in 1962. Walter William and Mary York built a 120 cow free-stall barn with a double six herringbone parlor. The dairy gradually increased in land and cows over the next 25 years.  In 1993, a 400 cow free-stall barn was built and in 2000, a new parlor and another 400 cow free-stall barn were built to bring the total cow numbers to 1100 head.  At the site they were milking 1100 cows along with 1000 heifers at three other facilities.  In 2008, they built a transition barn that could hold 400 plus cows with 400 free-stalls and a pack area for calving and problem cows.   In 2012, Walter’s sons and nephew, Ken, Keith York and John Tueting bought the farm.   They added a 500-stall tunnel vent addition to the transition barn in 2016 and have steadily increased the size of the farm to 1600 milking cows.

Ken’s children, Chantel, Lance and Quinn York along with partner Brad Kauer bought the farm in June 2019.  They have expanded the dairy business to include custom harvesting and custom manure work.  They currently milk 1650 cows.