resources

We don’t just work the land, we live on it too! We do our best to be as resourceful as possible with our crops, fertilizers, and the day to day operations of the farm.

crops:

We pride ourselves in using the farmland to grow corn, cotton, hay, and other crops that are harvest and utilized throughout the farm. Although these crops are utilized throughout the entirety of the farm, the majority of the crops are used for the production of forages and grains for the cows.

SHIT TALK

With over 2,000 cows, the manure produced gets to be quite extensive (and smelly)! Thankfully we use most, if not all, of it as a natural fertilizer for our crops. Dairy cows’ manure contains nutrients valuable for crops, including nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium. By recycling the manure, we are able to reuse its nutrients to create a nourishing fertilizer that aids in increasing the general health of our crops. In addition to enriching the soil for our cow feed, reusing the manure as fertilizer also eliminates our need for commercial fertilizer, allowing us to be more environmentally friendly and sustainable. The manure from the barns is sucked up with a vacuum that dumps it into a pit where it stays until distributed as fertilizer for our crops.

renewable energy? we’re huge fans

Stony Corners Windfarm, located in the heart of McBain, is one of the first utility-scale wind farms in Michigan and began operating in 2008. Prior to Stony Corners, over 60% of the electricity generated in Michigan came from burning coal and 100% of the coal used was/is imported from other states. Wind power, however, is homegrown, inexhaustible, and clean. Wind turbines work on a simple principle: instead of using electricity to make wind—like a fan—they reverse that and use the wind to make electricity. The wind turns the propeller-like blades of a turbine around a rotor, which spins a generator, creating electricity. Today, Stoney Corners is one of Michigan’ s most significant renewable energy operations with 29 wind turbines at an installed capacity of 60.2 megawatts; this is equivalent to the amount of energy needed to power 13,000 average households (enough to power 100% of the households in Wexford County annually, including the City of Cadillac).