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FARM & RANCH
www.havredailynews.com
Developing eco-friendly ag energy Pam Burke community@havredailynews.com As the U.S. culture and economy places more emphasis on going green, northcentral Montana agricultural producers are beginning initial forays into more eco-friendly products and operating practices. Bob Quinn and his son-in-law, Andrew Long, both farmers from the Big Sandy area, own and operate The Oil Barn, which processes organically grown safflower seeds grown by them and contract farmers, into food-grade safflower oil. This oil is sold in bulk to their customers. “We supply the entire oil needs of the University of Montana,� Quinn said, for all cooking, frying and baking needs. Their other customers include two area restaurants, one in Big Sandy, the other in Loma. After the oil is used, it is return hauled back to their facility and the recycled oil is processed into fuel for their farm equipment. Wikimedia Commons This undated photo shows a field of Safflower plants in Japan.
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Farmers can easily spend eight hours or more on their feet, but increased mechanization has made them less active than previous generations. Add to that a diet traditionally heavy in milk, cheese and beef, which presents cholesterol and other risks. The initiative started in 2004 after health care workers and residents realized many farmers received no medical care until they turned up in emergency rooms. The tightknit community, where farmers are active in schools, local government and state politics, formed a focus group. Thirty-six percent of U.S. dairy farmers and their families lacked insurance in 2011, compared to 9 percent of all farmers and about 16 percent of the general population, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Dairy farmers are less likely than crop farmers to hold off-farm jobs for insurance because their animals require constant care. Eighteen percent bought their own policies in 2011. But insurance isn't the only issue. Chores often begin at 4 a.m., making it hard to fast for a blood cholesterol test hours later at a doctor's office or clinic. Traveling to the office and long waits are time lost from work. In the end, farm wives helped the group realize health care needed to be delivered like agricultural services. "The vet comes to the farm. The milk man picks up delivery at the farm. The feed
FARM & RANCH comes to the farm. Why should we make them change that?" said Rhonda Strebel, the nurse who launched the program and now serves as its executive director. Vomastic went to school with the nurse who came to his farm a few days after Thanksgiving. They joked about the three holiday meals he consumed and his fondness for Sun Drop, a locally made soda that many drink instead of coffee. A blood test showed the 39-year-old's triglyceride level was higher than it should be. "How many Sun Drops did you have yesterday?" Dawn Dingeldein asked. " E n o u g h , " Vo m a s t i c r e s p o n d e d . Dingeldein laughed but recommended he watch his diet, particularly sugar, alcohol and butter. "Three things that go good together," Vomastic joked. The local hospital system, ThedaCare, picks up about half of the $200,000 tab for Rural Health Initiative services in three counties. Community donations cover the rest. The program will expand to a fourth Wisconsin county next year. Nationwide, preventive care programs aimed at farmers have cropped up in states such as Iowa, Nebraska and North Carolina through the nonprofit AgriSafe Network. In Johnson County, Iowa, a network clinic has a trailer that goes to events like farm bureau meetings and fairs to provide screenings and basic ser-
vices, said Kelley Donham, a retired University of Iowa professor who helped found AgriSafe. Dingeldein pulled her SUV into Ainsworth's father's driveway as Ainsworth and his brother were finishing morning chores on the 130-cow farm. She plays volleyball with Ainsworth's wife, remembers his father's service as a state assemblyman and knows his brother's wife makes the calls on their health insurance. Dingeldein drew blood, checked the brothers' weight and body fat and collected a questionnaire that ThedaCare will analyze for signs of health problems, such as depression. "You did much, much better this year,"
www.havredailynews.com Dingeldein told the 53-year-old Ainsworth after looking at his cholesterol results. "Do you know what you did?" He didn't. They brainstormed. He lost a few pounds, and the milk he drinks comes from the bottom of the farm's tank, eliminating much of the fat that floats to the top. His 73-year-old father, John Ainsworth, said he was skeptical when the program started, but has been won over. "I've heard a couple of stories of people who had some little things that weren't quite right and didn't know about it until she checked their blood sugar," he said, "and then they got the care they needed."