How often have you seen a city interested in locating a dairy inside the city limits? I don’t know of any. In fact, the most recently built dairies that I know of personally have had to almost take a stealth approach to locating in the outlying county they wanted to locate in. However, in Claremont, MN the city council members are studying the possibility of annexing land to have a modern dairy built within the city limits.

This may be a first for any city in the United States, and perhaps the world. The City of Claremont, MN council members in their January 25th meeting moved to take under study a move to promote economic development with the possible annexation of the land where the proposed Ripley Dairy is to be built. The council members will study the financial impacts for the City and citizens of Claremont, legal advice to determine if an annexation of this type could be successful and any changes that the City may have to make to its own code in order to allow an operation of this size.

“We appreciate the expressions of support that many have given to us and to this dairy. We know it is a dream shared by many,” explained Rowekamp. “We will continue to challenge elected officials and business owners to make the changes necessary to help dairy farmers improve their businesses in Minnesota while protecting everyone’s rights and the environment.