Life on the Farm: Shatto Dairy Tour

The best I can do today is share photos and a report from Jane Quinn on her field trip to Shatto Milk Company with her second grade class. I originally planned to join her but spent the day in Topeka for an agency conference for the area food bank.


Jane grew up on a dairy farm near Amity, Missouri a few miles from the fast-growing Shatto Dairy in Osborn, Missouri. Shatto has 425 dairy cows milked twice a day, requiring 35 farm workers to handle the full operation of milking, milk production and bottling the product. The dairy has a 2000 gallon holding tank where they produce a variety of milk and cheese products that are available in local grocery stores.

She has always maintained a fondness for farm life, especially the dairy farm variety. The farm she grew up on maintained a 50 dairy cow herd during the 1970's when she grew. She was eager to share the dairy farm on the field trip not only for Shatto's success at locally produced, small farm milk production but also for her connection to childhood memories of life on the farm.

Harvesters gives (compost) back to the community

Construction of the pad to hold a bin for composting
is nearly complete. The pad and gravel driveway are
on the back lot at Harvesters in KC.

Megan FitzGerald with Harvesters described a new composting initiative to provide a large quantity of waste vegetables and fruit to Missouri Organic. The effort redirects waste from a dumpster destined for the landfill to an operation that will recycle the material for compost for backyard gardens.

She described the project as an exciting community program -- one that both employees and volunteers are eager to support because it improves Harvesters' efforts at sustainability and the green movement.

The project required significant planning to ensure the processing of waste met food safety guidelines, did not require an abnormal amount of labor, and did not require an initial cash outlay. A cross-functional Harvesters team developed the idea and worked with the fundraising department to find grant money to pay for construction. Mid-America Regional Council provided grant money from a sustainability fund for the project. Megan estimates that three full dumpsters per week will be picked up by Missouri Organic.

As of April 2, 2012 construction of the gravel entry driveway and concrete pad has been completed. A door leading from the food agency loading area will start in the next week or so. All this means that things are nearly ready for the vegetable/fruit/produce waste collection is almost ready to start.

Count on Harvesters to give back to the community in a big way -- unusable produce will be arriving soon at Missouri Organic to generate high-quality dirt for backyard gardens. While the dirt may not feed low-income and working people directly the project will improve locally-grown food for consumption in the area.