Posted: 06.30.2010

Feature by summer intern, Ashley Nimtz

Sixty elected officials gathered Thursday at the Roger Rebout & Sons Farm for Rock County’s “Focus on Agriculture” day.   The day started with a tour of the farm and all of the many aspects of farming and ended with speakers, a lunch and a question and answer session.  The farm has four main sections for the livestock…and this doesn’t even include the supplies and machinery needed for the crops!

Doug Rebout, a partner in the farm, said the farm was established in 1964 with only 240 acres.  After slow, timed, incremental increases they now work 4,000 acres of cropland, milk 140 dairy cows, and raise 400 head of beef steers.  Rebout also noted that the money maker and focus on the farm has moved originally from dairying to today being cash crops. 

Last fall’s weather did not help them out with their crops or their input prices.  The cool wet fall didn’t allow the corn to dry so they had to run most of the grain through their dryer twice.  This doubled their fuel cost for drying!   The extra fuel needed for the drier made their breakeven point drastically increase due to the added input costs.  Rebout says that this year, the weather is cooperating a little better, but the rain this spring kept them out of the fields and delayed their planting in some of their low lying fields. 

The first speaker, Wade Thompson, of the Planning Economic and Community Development Agency, explained a new program the PACE program is to be finished and ready for use in late 2010 or early 2011.  The goal of the PACE Program, Purchase of Agricultural Conservation Easements Program, is in short to save the farmland.  Thompson explained that since the funding is limited, a person would have to meet five criteria in order to be eligible.  

Other speakers explained just how much agriculture plays a part in not only Rock County’s economy, but Wisconsin’s economy as well.   Randy Thompson, Rock County’s UW-Extension Agent, explained how Agriculture is one of the so diverse industries and always growing and expanding.  Thompson also said that about 10% of Rock County’s jobs are related either directly or indirectly to agriculture.

In the end, the event had two main messages:

1) Don’t be afraid to teach people about the agricultural industry, because many people are involved with it and don’t even know it. 

2)Agriculture is one of the most prosperous and diverse industries.  Anyone can be a part of it.  We need to be sure to save what we have left of it so that it can continue to grow and prosper. 

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