The new wave of farming

“I was a fourth generation (dairy farmer), and it was all I knew,” he said recently. “It was extremely hard on the family.”

But the dairy industry and the economics behind it were changing, making it unprofitable for Meyer to continue without a major expansion.

“To expand in this part of the country with all the residential growth, it wouldn’t have been wise,” he said.

Today, Meyer has no regrets. At their Cal-Ann Farms in Basehor, he and his wife, Pam, along with their grown children — daughters Michelle and Rebecca and son Nicholas — operate a successful indoor fish farm raising Nile tilapia. They combine the fish operation with the growing of vegetables in a greenhouse by utilizing an aquaponics system. The nutrient-rich wastewater from the fish tanks is pumped into the vegetable plant beds. The water, minus the waste, is recirculated back into the tanks.

Sign up for our
regular news updates

Latest Industry News

•   Britain Makes the Switch to Sustainable Species
•   Council Supports Local Oyster Industry
•   EU Approves Block Exemption for State Aid
•   500 Marine Protected Areas Established in Philippines
•   Parliament Passes Fisheries Bill
•   Scottish Fishermenn Maintain Pressure over Fuel
•   Update on Ganglioneuritis Virus in Abalone
•   Lack of Fish Farming Policy Force Prices Down
•   Governor Impressed by Seafood Industry
•   New Zealand Fast Forward Bold Step Forward