Description
We own and operate a 1,800 acre diversified row crop farming operation located in Prospect Valley, CO. We produce a number of crops including sugar beets, corn for grain and silage, wheat, sunflowers, alfalfa and dry onions. In addition to our farming operation, we process and ship our onion crop, along with onions grown by several other area producers. Currently we package and ship onions to 19 different States. In conjunction with our farm and onion operations, we represent Pioneer Hi-Bred International as the local Pioneer Salesman. Recently we started a consulting firm dealing with water and land management issues. Currently we employ six full time employees and up to seventy seasonal workers within our businesses. What is unique about our operation? Our operation is unique in that we are very diversified within agriculture. We are producers, marketers, shippers, seed suppliers while providing consulting services to those involved in issues such as managing the conflicts between urban and rural interests. I am a third generation famer and I follow in the footsteps of my father and grandfather who immigrated to the United States from Austria in 1952. How I began farming. My wife and I returned home from college to work within my Father's operation. My degree was in Agriculture Economics, but production Ag was where I wanted to be. After working one season for my Father, I was able to rent a farm from a nearby neighbor. I borrowed equipment from my Father and my Uncle to operate the first few years until I was able to begin purchasing some of my own. As the years passed, I was able to rent others farms to grow my operation. At that time, my operation was centered around the production of sugar beets; the crop my family was most familiar with. Even though my Father had a separate farm, we always harvested together to spread the cost of machinery. We also produced malt barley and pinto beans then, but they were later discontinued. In 2003, my Father decided to retire from farming and came to work with me. I was able to absorb his land base and incorporate it into my current farming operation. It was this same year we took on a new crop; onions. We were the only onion producers in our area until very recently when a couple others growers began producing. In 2007, the onion shed we were growing for, afforded us an opportunity to lease and manage the facility on our own. It is this facility that we still operate today. Along the way, we were fortunate to attain the local Pioneer dealership which greatly enhanced our farm. Over the years we have grown the business to the point of adding a full-time agronomist/salesman to the agency to better assist our customers. Living so close to the growing Front Range of Colorado has exposed our farming community to many conflicts between urban growth and rural sustainability. In the parched eastern plains of Colorado, water is a valuable asset. It is the catalyst to prosperity, opportunity and growth for both agriculture and municipalities. It is this tug-of-war which drew our family into establishing a consulting company to try and strike the balance between these competing interests for land and water. Currently, our farm is helping a large developer look at alternatives to buying up and drying up prime farmland which ultimately leaves the land relatively useless. What consumers should know about agriculture, animal care and stewardship of the land. It is important for consumers to understand the significance of having a domestically produced food supply that is grown using safe technology, sensible production practices and prudent management of our resources. There is as much history as there is tradition embedded in our industry. Our land, livestock and respect for the environment we produce in is more important to us than we are ever given credit for. Our land and livestock make us who we are. Without proper care for the land, our animals and our environment, our farms and ranches suffer. As farmers, we take extreme pride in what we do, what we produce and how we deliver it to the consumer's table. The ultimate goal is to provide an abundant food supply which is safe, affordable and of the highest quality. In order to achieve these high standards, agriculture must work hard at communicating the importance of our industry and the practices necessary to produce such abundance to the households across this country. Agriculture is all too often forgotten about, taken for granted or singled out as not living up to ecological or ethical standards; but by whose definition? Knock the dirt off of any farmer or rancher and you will find the greenest individual on the face of the planet.
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United States
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http://www.arnuschfarms.com EmployeesNumber of Employees 1
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