Governor learns about renewable energy in Yuma County

Wednesday, Oct. 16, Colorado Livestock Association members from the Yuma area hosted a tour of their wind turbines and facilities for Gov. Jared Polis and Commissioner of Agriculture Kate Greenberg.

Erick Farmer, owner of Heritage Dairy, talked about his wind turbines and discussed the benefits and some of the obstacles to increasing the use of turbines throughout rural Colorado.

“Terri and I were honored to host a discussion on wind energy with Gov. Polis in Yuma County. Renewables are an important part of our ag operations in both Colorado and Kansas. Our wind turbines provide approximately 60% of our power at Heritage Dairy and even more at our feedyards. This allows us to not only be more efficient and cut costs but also allows us to be part of a bigger picture of becoming more sustainable. We are proud to be part of this movement,” said Farmer.

“It was important for us to also inform the governor not only of our success with these wind projects but to also enlighten him with the hurdles associated with renewable energy implementation in our county and state. We hope that this discussion with the governor will help lead the path to more renewables as part of the future of ag in Colorado,” he said.

Following the tour at Heritage Dairy, the group met with Smithfield Hog Production, including Bill Gill, assistant vice president for sustainability and environmental affairs for Smithfield Foods; Dwain Weinrich, Colorado operations manager for Smithfield Hog Production; and Julie McCaleb, environmental systems manager for Smithfield Foods.

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