For this Wednesday's Central Standard, we bring you our second show asking-- what will the farmer of the future look like? But this time we're looking for answers in our own metro area.
A few years ago, things were going smoothly for Eric Neill and his family. Neill was making good money as a construction superintendent for a commercial contractor in Kansas City, traveling the country, running challenging job sites. But he wasn’t satisfied.
Chris Boeckmann grows turkeys for Cargill on his Loose Creek, Mo., farm. But he also raises grass-fed all-natural beef for his private label.
Credit Peggy Lowe / Harvest Public Media
Boeckmann is a hybrid farmer who works with the large multinational corporations that control the agricultural markets, but also responds to increasing consumer demand for “natural” food.
Credit Peggy Lowe / Harvest Public Media
Boeckmann incorporated his all-natural grass-fed beef operation this year and is selling under his Boeckmann Family Farms label to local customers, restaurants and groceries.
Credit Peggy Lowe / Harvest Public Media
Boeckmann's Turkey operation looks like a large corporate farm.
The farmer of future will grow food and raise animals with tomorrow in mind. They’ll know contributing to the food supply is not enough. If the soil, air and water they use to produce food is damaged, good luck feeding anyone.
There’s always work to be done on the farm, but often it’s the same work day, after day, after day. Parts of the job must feel a bit like an assembly line.
Luis Campos came to the U.S. illegally but eventually became a legal resident. Campos is now the parlor manager at Winding Meadow Dairy in Rock Valley, Iowa.
Credit Kathleen Masterson / Harvest Public Media
Terry van Maanen bought Winding Meadows Dairy from his father in the '80s and has grown it to about 600 cows. He sells milk to Land O Lakes.
Credit Kathleen Masterson / Harvest Public Media
The Natural Food Holdings plant in Sioux Center relies on its large number of Hispanic employees.
Credit Kathleen Masterson / Harvest Public Media
Over time, formerly predominantly Dutch Sioux Center, Iowa, has changed.
Sioux County, in northwest Iowa, is known for its Dutch pastries. The landscape is dotted with Lutheran and reform churches. But today, Catholic churches and tortillerias are creeping into the landscape — signs of the new residents joining this vibrant community.