NW Iowa milking dairy industry - Feed, milk processors, soil, veterinarians make Iowa ideal place for dairies to flourish
By Nick Hytrek / Journal staff writer | Posted: Wednesday, March 05, 2008
Milkers prep cows at the Roorda Dairy near Paullina, Iowa. The cows had been trucked in from Idaho, where the Roorda's previously operated a dairy. (Photo by Russ Oechslin)
At the height of Gateway's success, the black-and-white, cow-spotted boxes that became the computer maker's trademark could be seen almost everywhere.
Those spots can still be seen extensively in parts of Northwest Iowa.
Only these spots are the real thing. They're on actual cows, not boxes.
Dairy cows of all colors continue to populate Siouxland in ever-growing numbers. One of the hubs of dairy activity in the state, Northwest Iowa continues to see expansion and growth in the industry.
"It's easier for dairy to grow in an area where the infrastructure already exists," said Kayla Lyon, executive director of the Western Iowa Dairy Alliance.
With at least 24 large-scale dairies and dozens of smaller ones, many of the things that dairymen looking to relocate to Iowa need are already here. Veterinarians. Feed nutritionists. Milk processors. Feed cooperatives.
But just as important is what's found in the ground. The Iowa soil produces high-quality crops that can be fed to cows.
"The driving force is feed in Iowa," Lyon said. "We can grow good crops, good feed."
And cheaper, too.
The lower feed cost was one of the reasons John Roorda relocated his dairy operation from Idaho to a site near Paullina, Iowa. The move alone will save him $40-$50 per ton in feed shipping costs, he said in a Journal story in July.
"Midwest corn is better quality. You can feed cows 50-75 cents cheaper per day in Iowa," said Roorda, who plans to own about 4,000 head once fully operational. "Iowa is also closer to the population center of the country. Within a 500-mile radius of the Iowa, Minnesota, South Dakota border you have the least expensive food in the U.S."
The Roorda dairy began production earlier this year, as did another Idaho transplant to O'Brien County.
Harvey and Lisa VanEss moved to a site for their 4,000-head dairy near Hartley. They said in the July story that they were running out of room to expand in Idaho.
"We like the dry climate. But we can't expand there," Lisa VanEss said in July.
The wider-open spaces of Iowa have become an attraction for dairy farmers seeking to move here, Lyon said. Farmers in California and other states get blocked in by urban sprawl and opposition from new residents who don't want to see expanded dairy facilities in their neighborhood.
"Iowa is an ag-friendly state, and they don't have opposition that other states do," Lyon said. "It's a great environment to dairy in."
Those dairies moving into Northwest Iowa have a substantial economic impact, Lyon said. They provide jobs, often leading to new families moving into the area. Dairies also provide new business for banks, vets, feed stores, nutritionists. They can also help cut neighboring farmers' costs.
Roorda told the Journal in July that he planned to buy much of his feed from neighbors, who would also benefit by having the manure from 4,000 cows to spread on their fields.
"They can save a lot on fertilizer with this manure. It's a win-win situation for everybody," he said.
Even the little guy. Lyon said small dairy farmers welcome the larger farms to the area. When the larger farms move in, they often lead to the creation of services such as feed nutritionists that perhaps didn't exist in the area before. The small-scale farmer can then benefit from having those services available.
"The good thing about these dairies is they require all these resources. They bring in services that maybe weren't available before," Lyon said.
Lyon predicted that dairy opportunities in Northwest Iowa will continue to exist. A 3,600-head dairy has been proposed near Lawton. That project awaits Iowa Department of Natural Resources approval.
But growth doesn't exclusively mean the development of dairies milking thousands of cows, Lyon said.
"We like to see growth. It doesn't have to be large dairies. It can be a smaller dairy that's expanding," she said.
For more info
For more information about dairying in Iowa, visit the Western Iowa Dairy
Alliance Web site at http://www.westerniowadairy.org.
Those spots can still be seen extensively in parts of Northwest Iowa.
Only these spots are the real thing. They're on actual cows, not boxes.
Dairy cows of all colors continue to populate Siouxland in ever-growing numbers. One of the hubs of dairy activity in the state, Northwest Iowa continues to see expansion and growth in the industry.
"It's easier for dairy to grow in an area where the infrastructure already exists," said Kayla Lyon, executive director of the Western Iowa Dairy Alliance.
With at least 24 large-scale dairies and dozens of smaller ones, many of the things that dairymen looking to relocate to Iowa need are already here. Veterinarians. Feed nutritionists. Milk processors. Feed cooperatives.
But just as important is what's found in the ground. The Iowa soil produces high-quality crops that can be fed to cows.
"The driving force is feed in Iowa," Lyon said. "We can grow good crops, good feed."
And cheaper, too.
The lower feed cost was one of the reasons John Roorda relocated his dairy operation from Idaho to a site near Paullina, Iowa. The move alone will save him $40-$50 per ton in feed shipping costs, he said in a Journal story in July.
"Midwest corn is better quality. You can feed cows 50-75 cents cheaper per day in Iowa," said Roorda, who plans to own about 4,000 head once fully operational. "Iowa is also closer to the population center of the country. Within a 500-mile radius of the Iowa, Minnesota, South Dakota border you have the least expensive food in the U.S."
The Roorda dairy began production earlier this year, as did another Idaho transplant to O'Brien County.
Harvey and Lisa VanEss moved to a site for their 4,000-head dairy near Hartley. They said in the July story that they were running out of room to expand in Idaho.
"We like the dry climate. But we can't expand there," Lisa VanEss said in July.
The wider-open spaces of Iowa have become an attraction for dairy farmers seeking to move here, Lyon said. Farmers in California and other states get blocked in by urban sprawl and opposition from new residents who don't want to see expanded dairy facilities in their neighborhood.
"Iowa is an ag-friendly state, and they don't have opposition that other states do," Lyon said. "It's a great environment to dairy in."
Those dairies moving into Northwest Iowa have a substantial economic impact, Lyon said. They provide jobs, often leading to new families moving into the area. Dairies also provide new business for banks, vets, feed stores, nutritionists. They can also help cut neighboring farmers' costs.
Roorda told the Journal in July that he planned to buy much of his feed from neighbors, who would also benefit by having the manure from 4,000 cows to spread on their fields.
"They can save a lot on fertilizer with this manure. It's a win-win situation for everybody," he said.
Even the little guy. Lyon said small dairy farmers welcome the larger farms to the area. When the larger farms move in, they often lead to the creation of services such as feed nutritionists that perhaps didn't exist in the area before. The small-scale farmer can then benefit from having those services available.
"The good thing about these dairies is they require all these resources. They bring in services that maybe weren't available before," Lyon said.
Lyon predicted that dairy opportunities in Northwest Iowa will continue to exist. A 3,600-head dairy has been proposed near Lawton. That project awaits Iowa Department of Natural Resources approval.
But growth doesn't exclusively mean the development of dairies milking thousands of cows, Lyon said.
"We like to see growth. It doesn't have to be large dairies. It can be a smaller dairy that's expanding," she said.
For more info
For more information about dairying in Iowa, visit the Western Iowa Dairy
Alliance Web site at http://www.westerniowadairy.org.
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