A family farm in eastern Colorado grew from 160 acres to 10,000 acres over more than a century. Around 30 wind turbines on the property were expected to generate at least $180,000 a year for the family, providing a steady source of income alongside farming. Andrew and Lucy Kochis moved from what is now Slovakia to Colorado in 1908 under the Homestead Act.Four generations later, Jan and Virgil Kochis continued farming in Matheson, where limited rainfall made crop production unpredictable. According to KUNC, the turbines were part of Xcel Energy’s Rush Creek wind farm. Their payments were expected to provide income even during droughts and hailstorms, while crops and cattle continued to grow beneath them.
How the Kochis family established its Colorado farm in 1908
Andrew and Lucy Kochis arrived in Colorado in 1908 with their four surviving children after moving from what is now Slovakia to the United States. They had worked in coal mines in Pennsylvania and Indiana and had lost a three-month-old baby. The Homestead Act gave them a chance to own land if they made it productive within five years.The family received 160 acres on the eastern plains and built a one-room house from clay bricks with a grass-covered roof. In 1914, they secured the title to the land. Their farm later received recognition as a Colorado Centennial Farm, an honour held by about 1,800 farms across the Mountain West region, according to the report.
Dry conditions made farming difficult for the Kochis family
Farming on the eastern Colorado plains depended on rainfall. The Kochises grew crops without irrigation because water was either unavailable or too deep to reach. Their farm faced unpredictable rainfall, changing wheat prices, and crop challenges. The family tried growing sunflowers but stopped because the plants used too much water.They also switched among wheat, milo, corn, and wheat seed to improve their chances of producing a crop in changing weather conditions. Work outside the farm helped supplement uncertain earnings. The family kept off-farm jobs in coal mining, highway construction, and school bus driving, while Jan Kochis worked part-time as a nutritionist. Dry conditions continued to cause difficulties.
Around 30 wind turbines joined the 10,000-acre Colorado farm
By 2018, the Kochis farm had expanded from its original 160 acres to 10,000 acres. About 30 turbines had already been built on Jan and Virgil Kochis’s property. Xcel, Colorado’s largest utility company, was expected to complete the state’s largest wind farm within the following few months.The wider project was planned to cover 95,000 acres across four Colorado counties. From outside their home, the couple could see the installed turbines stretching across the farm’s fields. The structures stood about 30 storeys tall and had long grey blades. Cows were already gathering in the shade beneath one turbine.
Wind turbines were expected to bring in at least $180,000 annually
The turbines were expected to provide the family with a steadier income than crops alone could generate. Under the arrangement described in 2018, the Kochises were due to receive a minimum of about $6,000 per turbine each year for the next few decades, with higher payments expected once the turbines began producing electricity.With around 30 turbines on their property, the minimum annual payment was expected to reach at least $180,000. KUNC reported that this amount would equal about a 60% increase on the farm’s gross income in a good year. The payments were expected to continue whether the farm faced hail or drought, while crops and cattle could still grow beneath the turbines. Jan and Virgil expected the farm to continue for at least another generation.
