"One of the ranchers I visited said that what (the ARDL loan) did was provide a low-cost loan to help him get started so he could finance the rest of the operation on his own," Godfrey said. "That's one of the pieces I see with this thing: It's a bit like seed money. It provides an opportunity for producers to get started, to improve their operation and do bigger things."

Godfrey agrees that to some degree, the low-interest loans are a subsidy. But he said, the ARDL program has proven beneficial — not just to the ranchers, or the environment but to the surrounding economy as well.

"At the Bateman dairy, I think nine families are supported off that one dairy," Godfrey said. "And that's just the direct benefit. But then, they're buying hay from their neighbors for their herds, they're buying supplies from local dealerships, and that's going out through the community."

Stowell, who is also Iron County commissioner and a candidate for the state Senate, said ARDL is what allowed him to make 250 acres grow to 1,100. It's what helped him to grow better crops on healthier land. And, if he's elected in November, ARDL will have played a big role in allowing him to pass the third-generation family farm on to his son, Coy Stowell.

Oh, and there's a fourth benefit, he says.

"It's put the fun back into farming," Stowell said. "Why do it if it isn't any fun?"

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E-mail: jnii@desnews.com