By Carrie Muehling
FARMER CITY – More than 200 neighbors and friends gathered Saturday at the Dean Bacon & Beef Farm near Farmer City for a ribbon cutting and open house, celebrating construction of two new cattle barns.
Rick Dean said the new structures will increase the comfort level for both the animals and the people taking care of them.
“Just like our babies are born in a hospital, we want our baby calves to have a great beginning. We focused on that a lot before, but it’s just going to be better for people and the animals,” said Dean, who farms in McLean and Dewitt Counties.
Dean said one barn will house pregnant cows and be a place for them to give birth and care for the newborn calves. The other barn is a cattle finishing barn with a deep pit underneath to contain the manure.
“That’s a valuable resource that we’ll use on our fields, as well, to replace fertilizer,” said Dean. “The nutrients that the animals produce go right back on the field and produce better crops. Some of our best crops for years have been where we applied animal manure.”
He hopes to expand his cattle numbers to fill the buildings and provide opportunities for the next generation to be involved with the farm. That’s a common trend among cattle producers in Illinois today, according to Nic Anderson with the Illinois Livestock Development Group.
“Long-term, we’ve got generations coming back to the farm, much like here at the Dean family. So, when we grow our families, we have to have sources of income, and when you’re a good cattle person, that’s a logical way to go. So we see this happening around the state, especially in the last five years,” said Anderson.
Anderson said a cattle shed like the one the Dean family just built can house 600 head of cattle, which will produce over two million hamburgers each year for the consuming public. He said farmers are working more to help consumers to understand that.
“Unfortunately, we can’t get the city of Chicago out here but every person here today can be one of our liaisons when they go back to their home area or their home families and talk about agriculture and livestock production,” said Anderson.
Neighbors and community members enjoyed a meal and tours of the barns, and also brought donations for a community-wide food pantry in the area.
Carrie Muehling can be reached at [email protected].
