Milk Producers Council (MPC) and Weintraub Tobin Chediak Coleman Grodin Law Corporation (Weintraub) announced their new strategic partnership. The partnership was created to provide labor and employment and environmental support services for the dairy family members of MPC and offer these members access to legal counseling. Weintraub’s program developed for MPC’s members includes unlimited access to Weintraub’s monthly Labor and … Read More
Healthy People, Healthy Product's and A Healthy Planet
The National Association of Farm Broadcasting’s annual Trade Talk brought together agricultural journalists and leading agricultural companies to discuss industry issues. The dairy industry was well represented and I took the opportunity to talk with a representative from the Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy. Laura Mandell serves as the Vice President in Sustainability Communications, she shared with me how the … Read More
Farmer Poll Favors Romney
A poll for election day shows a significant majority of farmers say they are voting Romney over Obama for president, and most blame Democrats for failure to pass a new farm bill. The Agri-Pulse Farm and Rural Poll released today found that 78 percent of farmers polled are voting for Mitt Romney in the presidential election. On November 1, 2012, … Read More
California Dairies Tout Sustainability Success
California dairy families are proud of the sustainability accomplishments they achieved in 2011. According to the California dairy farming sustainability coalition Dairy Cares, the state’s dairy industry continued its commitment last year to protect and improve the environment. Central Valley dairy farmers launched the nation’s largest dairy groundwater monitoring program, a non-profit, collaborative scientific effort to assure that dairy farming … Read More
Conservation Tour Features Ohio Dairy
One of the stops on the 2011 CTIC Conservation In Action Tour in northwest Ohio last week was Bridgewater Dairy in Montpelier, where tour participants heard from owner Dr. Leon Weaver about the conservation practices they use to protect water quality in this area so close to Lake Erie. “We explained the operation of our large dairy farm where we … Read More
Dairy Farm Conservation
Last week the Conservation Technology Information Center conducted a field tour as part of their Indian Creek Watershed Project in Livingston County, IL. This project is funded in part by the Illinois EPA and other stakeholders. I participated and was pleasantly surprised to find a dairy farm on the tour! We visited Kilgus Dairy. The family dairy farm is the … Read More
Modern Dairy Carbon Footprint Keeps Shrinking
Dr. Jude Capper, Washington State University, Assistant Professor of Dairy Sciences (pictured on the left) is a myth buster. At the Alltech International Symposium she took on the myths about the carbon footprint of modern dairy production. Her presentation was titled, “Managing the media myth: What is the truth behind the carbon footprint of modern dairy production? Things you should … Read More
USDA Studies Dairy Cows Inside and Out
USDA researchers using computers to simulate dairy cow living situations think keeping the animals outdoors more may be better for the environment. An Agricultural Research Service (ARS) team evaluated how different management systems on a typical 250-acre Pennsylvania dairy farm would affect the environment. The study used the Integrated Farm System Model, a computer program that simulates the major biological … Read More
Lakeland Dairy Adds Solar Energy to Operations
Adding a solar power system can give dairy operations a double-benefit. Solar can reduce you utility bills while at the same time helping your business become more sustainable. One dairy farm in Hanford, California has added a 891 kilowatt solar energy system designed and constructed by SPG Solar. It is comprised of 3,240 Suntech solar modules and two Solaron inverters. … Read More
DFA Touts Environmental Stewardship
On Earth Day last week, Dairy Farmers of America, Inc. (DFA) released the results of an internal assessment that helped the cooperative to determine its carbon footprint. “Whether it is in our plants, on the road or on member farms, we are working to ensure that DFA and our members’ legacies last for generations,” said David Darr, vice president of … Read More