Farmer Spotlight > Paul Rovey
Being a good neighbor pays off
I was born and raised on the dairy farm that we still work on today. My father was born and raised here in the Phoenix area on a farm that once stood in a location that is now in the middle of the city.
After he graduated from college in 1943, he bought another farm that we’ve been on ever since.
I enjoyed growing up on a dairy farm with my five brothers and three sisters. I couldn’t wait to come back to the farm after I graduated from college. The farm has always been home to me.
Eventually my brother and I bought the dairy from my father. We now have two facilities, including one at the University of Arizona that serves as a teaching facility. Our partnership with the university allows professors and students to conduct research and training at an actual dairy farm. We’re currently working with the university on a project where water from dairies can be recycled with no harm to the environment.
Water is an important issue to all of us in Arizona. We’ve been in a drought for the last five to seven years. From time to time, we do get heavy rainfall, so it’s important for us to monitor and manage the rain that falls on our farm. We constructed additional ponds to make sure that the rain that falls on the dairy stays on the dairy.
Arizona is still experiencing lots of growth and change, which is why it’s important for us to respect our neighbors. At our main dairy, we buffer ourselves with our own ground, so we don’t have neighbors right next door. We planted trees around the property so that when you drive by, you don’t even realize that there’s a dairy operation here. We try to make the dairy as innocuous as possible, right down to controling the fly and mosquito populations.
It’s important for us to maintain a neighborly approach and the quality of life here in Glendale. My wife Deborah and I make our home here and our five children are growing up in a community that we love. We’re very involved in various city activities, our city council and our church.
Our neighbors understand that if there’s any way we can assist them or help them understand our challenges, we’re here for them.
