the crops feed the cows and the cows feed the crops

"Kansas City and the surrounding area drink about 10 semi-loads of milk each day. One of those semi loads comes from Heins Family Farms of Higginsville, hitting the shelf 48 hours after leaving."

"The Heinses milk around 650 Holstein cows, each producing an average of 8 to 9 gallons a day, although some produce up to 15 gallons a day."

 "We try to use every last bit, whether it's recycling sand, using manure as fertilizer, or using heat from the milk coolers to heat the parlor during winter," Heins says. "As dairy farmers, we were green and sustainable before it was cool." 

"Dairy farmers across the US have gradually increased milk production over time while being sustainable, Heins says. He notes three driving factors: improved cow comfort and health, improved cow nutrition, and improved genetics by retaining the best cows in the herd." 

"'The best animals produce the most milk, and produce it most efficiently [says Heins]. Over the past 50 years, we've more than doubled the amount of milk produced in the US with less than half the amount of cows."

{Quotes taken from the recent Missouri Ruralist article by Tyler Harris entitled, "Cow comfort part of big green circle."}