|
|
NMDA honors New Mexico Farm Family of the YearNew Mexico New Mexico Department of Agriculture has selected the Lieb family of Portales, N.M., as the "2009 Farm Family of the Year." Johnny Lieb, originally from Portales, grew up in Elida, N.M., and has been involved in agriculture his entire life. He started his agriculture career showing livestock at county and state fairs, and has been involved in ranching, trucking and organic farming. In 2005, Lieb partnered with Stanley Jones and built an organic dairy in Portales, N.M. Lieb was instrumental in implementing organic procedures to comply with the policies and organic certification requirements of the New Mexico Organic Commission. In 2006, Lieb successfully transitioned his dairy herd of about 1,000 animals to organic and received organic certification for Sandcrest Dairy. He expanded to a second dairy, Sunridge, encompassing an additional 1,000 cows, with both dairies now operating under the name of Nature's Way. The dairy ships to Horizon, the nation's leading organic and natural dairy brand. Lieb has done an exceptional and innovative job of creating hundreds of acres of permanent pasture for his cows, in an environment where creating good pasture means a lot of thought, planning, and hard work. The dairy has also provided a market for over a dozen local feed and forage producers who now receive premium prices for their crops. The dairy has also created jobs for over 20 residents in eastern New Mexico.
Copyright/Privacy
Copyright 1995-2011. High Plains Publishers, Inc. All rights reserved. Any republishing of these pages, including electronic reproduction of the editorial archives or classified advertising, is strictly prohibited. If you have questions or comments you can reach us at High Plains Journal 1500 E. Wyatt Earp Blvd., P.O. Box 760, Dodge City, KS 67801 or call 1-800-452-7171. Email: webmaster@hpj.com |
|
