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DAIRY ST R “All dairy, all the time”™
Volume 20, No. 17
October 27, 2018
Focused on sustainability
Peterson decreases monthly electric bill with solar panels By Kayla Leiding Contributing Writer
PETERSON, Minn. – Jon Peterson always has sustainability on his mind. Jon, who farms with his wife Lori, and their son, Taylor, recently installed solar panels on their 65cow farm near Peterson, Minn. The Petersons also have 160 beef cattle and 150 ewes. “I’ve been thinking about this project for eight to 10 years,” Peterson said. Peterson chose solar panels because other renewable energy options such as wind would require more maintenance and have a higher upfront cost. Peterson spoke with two dairy farmers about solar panels. The people Peterson talked to were happy with the solar panels, and he trusted their thoughts and opinions. The planning process began at the end of February. The only permit Peterson was required to get was from the
township of Rushford Village. “It was pretty simple,” Peterson said of the entire planning process. The wet spring prevented the panels from being installed right away. Once the project was underway, it only took one week to install the panels. The Petersons were able to start using their solar panels June 1. Peterson looked into placing the solar panels on the roof. He decided there was not enough space on the roof, and the panels would not have been in the right direction or at the right angle. Peterson decided to place the solar panels in one of his paddocks. At rst, he was worried the panels would take up too much of the paddock, but everything worked out because the cows can graze around the Turn to PETERSON | Page 7
KAYLA LEIDING/ DAIRY STAR
Jon Peterson stands next to his solar panels on his 65-cow dairy near Peterson, Minn. He installed them earlier this year.
Hurricanes devastate farmland across naƟon Austins, Nances now dealing with storms’ aftermath By Jennifer Coyne jenn@dairystar.com
PHOTO SUBMITTED
A storage barn on Meghan and Brad AusƟn’s farm site is destroyed aŌer Hurricane Michael made landfall Oct. 10 near Marianna, Fla.
MARIANNA, Fla. – Life throughout the South Atlantic is slowly returning to normal after two hurricanes made landfall this fall, bringing about heavy rains and immeasurable damage to dairy communities in the southern United States. In September, Hurricane Florence swept across the Carolinas, and a short month later, Hurricane Michael arrived in the Florida Panhandle. “We’ve been able to take care of ourselves because of the outpouring of support from our fellow farmers,” said Meghan Austin of the Florida dairy in-
dustry. Austin and her husband, Brad, milk 300 cows in Jackson County near Marianna, Fla. The couple is one of many displaced with the aftermath of the fall storms. In the weeks following the hurricane’s landfall Oct. 10, the Austins have spent their time clearing debris and large trees from their farm property. “Our house is OK, but the yard looks like a bomb went off,” said Austin of her home located 10 miles from the farm site. “It’s defeating to know this is all gone, and it takes everything I have not to burst into tears every time I see it. Everybody around us is in the same boat.” The Austins’ 500-acre property was comprised of pastureland and hardwoods. “It’s not the most ideal place to Turn to HURRICANES | Page 5