Not in their wildest dreams could George and Bud Rutter have imagined the complicated technology it would take to run the diverse enterprises of today's Rutter's Companies. They milked 20+ cows by hand to produce 15 quarts of milk—in the 1980s the computerized milking system could fill 65 gallons in a minute. And that's just one of the many changes.

In the 1980s, modernization became the work of the day. For the Dairy and Ice Cream operations, this meant a total replacement of existing systems and expansion of the delivery area into Maryland, Delaware, and Virginia. By 1986 Rutter's Farm Stores occupied more than 50 locations in York, Adams, and Lancaster counties. As the decade ended, Rutter's began servicing an additional chain of 136 stores in Maryland.

The late 1980s also witnessed the introduction of a third generation to the management team. Dale Crist's son Jeff, Mike Rutter's son Todd, and Leo Rutter's son Tim all joined the company during this decade, adding their considerable skills, energy, and technological know-how.