The Wisconsin Dairy Business Association (DBA) presented its first ever Environmental Excellence Award on Thursday at World Dairy Expo and the winner is Five Star Dairy of Elk Mound.

General manager Lee Jensen accepted the award from DBA President Jerry Meissner and Executive Director Laurie Fischer. Jensen owns and operates Five Star Dairy with his wife and veterinarian, Dr. Jean Amundson, and his cousin Jim Jensen. As the award winner, the dairy received a commemorative plaque and a check for $500.

Among the dairy’s environmental accomplishments is a thermophylic complete mix digester that uses methane and other byproducts to generate electricity and provide power for approximately 600 homes in the Elk Mound area. The dairy also has a lagoon cover so that the manure lagoon can work as a digester in the future. This project is the first successful thermophylic complete mix digester with a separate substrate tank for agriculture use.

Wisconsin Secretary of Agriculture Randy Romanski recognized Jensen as a producer who has “chosen to go above and beyond environmental standards to improve and protect our air, water and land.”

Pictured here are Secretary Romanski, Jerry Meissner, Laurie Fischer, Lee Jensen, Jim Jensen and Jean Amundson.

Listen to part of the press conference, starting with Romanski’s remarks, followed by Meissner introducing the winner and then some of Lee’s presentation about Five Star Dairy: DBA Environmental Award

2010 World Dairy Expo Photo Album

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