We visited Bart Ruth on Wednesday afternoon to look at farming in his local area. We had met Bart earlier in the year in Washington at the Contemporary Scholars Conference. Bart grows corn and soya beans, a lot which is irrigated with effluent from a local dairy.
The dairy is about 5000 cows in two locations, all barn style, milked 3 times a day, 24 hours a day job. A few people, especially some of the locals, are skeptical of these types of systems however they do have their benefits. They create employment and wealth in local communities. It provides opportunities for local farmers to diversify into growing feed and fodder - lots of mouths to feed remember. Opportunities for relationships such as the deal Bart has with regard to effluent management also exist. Part of me does feel cows should be outdoors, however this is a controlled environment and I can see some benefits to it.
They had just started chopping maize silage for the dairy. The dairy employees 6 different teams of contractors from as far away as Montana and Kansas and some local crews as well. Once again, job creation.
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