Calif. Planning to Build Cow Condos

Yahoo! News ^ | Mon, May 12, 2003 | AP

[yonif]

BARSTOW, Calif. - A plan is in the works to build the West's largest cow town, a nearly 2,000-acre gated community in the Mojave Desert where 600 dairy farmers and their families would live alongside about 90,000 cattle.

The plan being pursued by two successful California businessmen aims to reduce agricultural pollution in the town by turning manure into clean, renewable energy to run the cow complex, with some left over for sale to the electricity grid serving Southern California.

Estimated cost of the project is $1 billion.

"We're talking cow condos, a complete gated community, sharing all sorts of services. It will be good for dairymen and a good way to dispose of animal waste," Henry Orlosky, one of the developers of the proposed cow complex, told the Los Angeles Times in an article published Sunday.

Orlosky and partner William Buck Johns plan to seek permits for the dairy in July from San Bernardino County. With strong backing from lawmakers and the dairy industry, the first of the cows could begin arriving in the high desert early next year.

The complex would build 30 dairy farms from scratch with 3,000 cows each on a 1,920-acre former alfalfa field in the Mojave just north of Barstow. The cow condos would include paved floors and covered stalls, complete with solar panels on the roofs. A plumbing system would continually flush each dairy like a giant toilet since cows can produce 100 pounds of excrement a day.

[Mr. K]

great - if you can stand the smell

[John Beresford Tipton]

"Calif. Planning to Build Cow Condos"

So, doesn't San Francisco have a "Cow Palace"?

[So Cal Rocket]

A plumbing system would continually flush each dairy like a giant toilet since cows can produce 100 pounds of excrement a day

They should install one of these in the Capitol Building in Sacramento... since even MORE cr@p comes out of there on a daily basis.

[Iowa Granny]

Okay. Dairy is extremely dependent upon water. Water for the cows to drink, water to disinfect the milking parlors, and even water to disinfect the udders before milking. Where on earth are they going to find enough water to properly maintain a diary of this size?

[uncitizen]

This reminds me of the "low cost housing for teachers" that they're building in CA. Exclusionary. Not equal opportunity housing. Tsk Tsk.

[AndyJackson]

2,000-acre gated community in the Mojave Desert where 600 dairy farmers and their families would live alongside about 90,000 cattle.

This is 45 cows per acre, not counting living space for the 600 farmers.

[Joe Hadenuf]

great - if you can stand the smell

You obviously haven't been to the desert north of Barstow...There's nothing out there.....LOL.....

[Joe Hadenuf]

This is 45 cows per acre, not counting living space for the 600 farmers.

Not bad, in New York city I bet it's 4000 people per acre......

[dirtboy]

600 dairy farmers and their families would live alongside about 90,000 cattle.

And I bet all 90,000 cows will be registered Democrats...

[thetruckster]

"cows can produce 100 pounds of excrement a day."

What kind of cows are those? Babe the Blue Ox?

[AnAmericanMother]

Actually, if you include water weight, that's probably not far off the truth. At least if cow byproducts are anything like horse byproducts. I've shoveled enough of the latter to recognize that it's HEAVY.

I do wonder what they're going to do for water in the middle of the desert, esp. with all the water disputes that are going on out there.

[Carry_Okie]

And I bet all 90,000 cows will be registered Democrats...

And why not? They're probably fond of boolsheet and are certainly used to it.

They'll make fine Democrats.

[Luna]

/shaking my head and rolling my eyes/

[CyberAnt]

One Billion - I thought the state was BROKE!!

[yonif]

They should install one of these in the Capitol Building in Sacramento... since even MORE cr@p comes out of there on a daily basis.

ROFL!!

[SamAdams76]

The officers grouped around a couch in a coerner

[SamAdams76]

"aye aye sir"

Let's see your chart

OK, I'll show you your chart. The Red Cross, I guess. I'm surprised he did not go over the hill a week ago.

[Bob]

A plumbing system would continually flush each dairy like a giant toilet since cows can produce 100 pounds of excrement a day.

Cows arent so big that they'd need a GIANT toilet; a very large one would suffice. On the other hand, good luck getting the cows to sit on it.