Dean owns and operates Handyhills Farm, an eighth-generation bicentennial farm, as a joint venture with his nephew and family. The family milks 120 cows and has 1,000 acres of corn, beans, alfalfa, and grass for forage. Handyhills Farm has an 85,000-bushel grain drying and storage facility, its own soybean meal and oil processing equipment, and a recent sawmill acquisition. Dean serves on the local school board, plays trumpet and piano at church, and is a graduate of the LeadNY program.