By Davis Archibald

December 11, 2007 | Mark Gibbons has been farming all of his life, just like his father and grandfather before him.

"I can't think of anything I enjoy more than running the ground," Gibbons said.

But Gibbons is confronting issues that did not challenge his father. Urbanization, immigration and environmental pressures are just a few problems dairy farmers in Cache County are facing.

According to Dr. Allen Young, dairy specialist at Utah State University, the future looks "challenging" for dairy farmers in Cache County.

Historically Cache County has been the largest dairy county in Utah, but last year it was overtaken by Millard County, according to the 2006 report from the Dairy Herd Information Association.

According to Young, the change is due to low milk prices, the rising cost of fuel and urbanization.

"Urbanization has been the thing that has really pushed them over the edge," Young said. Young said it's hard to expand because of urbanization and the rising costs of land prices.

And according to Young, expansion is key to surviving in the modern dairy market.

"We should have the right to farm, but we've got to use our head," Gibbons said.

Fortunately, Gibbons and his family have been able to expand their farm over the years. When his father was actively farming they had 40 cows. Now Gibbons and his brothers have more than 500 and plan on expanding to 650 within the next year.

Gibbons also plans to install a methane digester to help produce more energy and curb costs.

Along with urbanization comes a loss of connection with food and land, said Young. In fact, according to Young, the milk you buy at the store does not necessarily come from Cache County or even Utah.

"We might lose a war militarily, but as soon as we start depending on other countries for food, we're screwed," Gibbons said.

Mario Rodriguez opens up the gates to move the cows to the milking barn Dec. 15, 2007.

Rodriguez prods the cows into the barn, above, and milks them, below.