Winners with Phil Lempert of Supermarketguru.com. The winners in the photo are, from left: Joe Arthur (Central Pennsylvania Food Bank), Linda Jennissen (Jer-Lindy Farms), Brian Houin (Homestead Dairy), Wayne Bateman (Bateman’s Mosida Farms), Steve Barstow (Longview Farm), Phil Lempert (Supermarketguru.com, host), Dan Siemers (Siemers Holsteins), Jeff Endres (Yahara Pride Farms Conservation Board), Chris Noble (Noblehurst Farms) and Colleen Geurts (Schrieber Foods).
The Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy® has announced its fifth annual U.S. Dairy Sustainability Awards. The program recognizes dairy farms, businesses and partnerships whose sustainable practices positively impact the health and well-being of consumers, communities, animals and the environment. This year’s winners addressed waste and nutrient management, food insecurity, water quality protection, energy efficiency and other sustainability issues.
“The nine honorees have truly integrated sustainability into their businesses to achieve not only economic success but also to support the well-being of their communities and our planet,” said Barbara O’Brien, president of the Innovation Center. “Their achievements throughout the value chain, both large and small, significantly advance the dairy community’s leadership in sustainable business practices.”
“For the past five years, we’ve had the opportunity to see hundreds of examples of how the dairy community is working toward a sustainable future. Some are innovative breakthroughs and others are everyday practices that bring continuous and sustainable improvement,” said Paul Rovey, an Arizona dairy farmer, member of the judging panel and chair of Dairy Management Inc.™ “Best of all, most of the winning ideas can be adopted by others to extend the reach of our sustainability efforts.”
The 2016 U.S. Dairy Sustainability Awards winners are:
Outstanding Dairy Farm Sustainability
Bateman’s Mosida Farms, Elberta, Utah
Jer-Lindy Farms LLC< Brooten, Minnesota
Siemers Holstein, Newton, Wisconsin
Honorable Mention: Homestead Dairy, Plymouth, Indiana
Outstanding Dairy Processing & Manufacturing Sustainability
Agri-Mark Inc. and Cabot Creamery Cooperative, Waitsfield, Vermont
Honorable Mention: Foremost Farms USA and Schreiber Foods Inc., Richland Center, Wisconsin
Outstanding Achievement in Resource Stewardship
Yahara Pride Farms inc., Brooklyn, Wisconsin
Outstanding Achievement in Community Partnerships
Noblehurst Farms Inc., Linwood, New York
Honorable Mention: Central Pennsylvania Food Bank, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania