SC DOC Milks Big Savings
Two rows of black and white Holstein cows waited Monday morning for prison inmates to connect their udders to milking machines, then stood patiently as white liquid began flowing into collection containers. The scene takes place twice a day at the Wateree Correctional Institution, as prisoners milk about 200 cows. News, with photo gallery, in The State.
But at this Sumter County facility, they’re accomplishing more than milk production. The dairy operation has resulted in thousands in savings into thousands for the S.C. Department of Corrections, which like most state agencies has been struggling with budget deficits in a tough economic climate.
The cows produce more than 500,000 gallons of milk per year, served daily to the S.C. Department of Corrections’ 24,000 inmates statewide. The milk also supplies cafeterias at the S.C. Department of Juvenile Justice, with a little sold on the market in South Carolina.
But next year, the dairy will expand into a new $7 million facility that can milk 1,000 cows a day, said Bert Dew, branch chief for agriculture at the Corrections Department. The expansion will allow production of more than 2.3 million gallons per year, with the larger dairy also capable of packaging single-serve milk and juices and of producing potable water for state emergencies. The excess milk from the expanded dairy will be sold on the open market in South Carolina, Dew said.
Dairy farmers do not expect the prison’s milk sales to affect their operations, because the state’s dairies do not produce enough to satisfy the demand, said Jamie Cantrell, a field representative with the Dairy Farmers of America cooperative, which markets milk for farmers.
In fact, the Corrections Department milk is expected to save the state’s dairy producers about $200,000 per year in import costs. About 80 dairy farms operate statewide.
“Any time local milk is produced, it’s a load that doesn’t have to be hauled in from Texas or New York state,” Cantrell said.
Wateree is one of three farms in the state’s prison system. Those farms also produce eggs, vegetables, grits and corn meal that are used to feed inmates, saving nearly $600,000 a year. The Corrections Department’s daily food cost per inmate — $1.51 — is the lowest among prison systems nationwide, said Josh Gelinas, the department spokesman.
And the farms raise products such as beef cattle that are sold for cash. That money is returned to the farms so they can pay for themselves, Dew said.
At Wateree, 200 of the prison’s 700 inmates work on the farm under the supervision of professional agriculture specialists such as Dew. The inmates’ work helps hold down expenses, since they do not earn salaries. And the hard work keeps behavioral problems to a minimum, he said.
“If you work them and they work hard all day, you don’t have any trouble out of them,” he said. “They come in and go to bed.”
Besides the dairy, Wateree also produces grits, corn meal, sweet potatoes, lumber and cattle, and chicken feed.
The Corrections Department has projected that the expanded dairy will pay for itself within 10 years, said Jon Ozmint, Corrections Department director. The first 500 cows are expected to move into a new barn in January.
But Ozmint said he wouldn’t be surprised if the dairy generated enough money to recoup the expense at a faster rate, especially if the price of milk holds steady.
Once Corrections pays off its construction costs, it will use the money to pay for other expenses such as offsetting budget deficits. This year, Corrections expects to run a $10 million deficit, Ozmint said. If the dairy already was profitable, it would generate more than $1 million that could help with the shortfall.
The Corrections Department constantly evaluates the agriculture market to see which crops and livestock are profitable. A few years ago, the department dropped hog farming because it did not make money, Ozmint said. But it added a large egg production facility.
“That’s why we focus on eggs and milk, because they’ve always been winners for us,” he said.
The new dairy is being built mostly by prison labor. Inmates are grading the foundation and building two barns. A private contractor has been hired to build the milking parlor, said John Harmon, chief of facilities management for the Corrections Department.
On Monday, inmates drove bulldozers and backhoes across the site and pounded a steel frame into place.
Duane, whose full name was not released because of Corrections Department policy, said he owned a construction business before he was incarcerated. He sees the job as a chance to keep his skills sharp, and he takes pride in watching the barn rise from the ground.
“Even though I’m out here, this reflects my work,” said Duane, who is serving 12 years for felony DUI. “It helps time go by.”
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