The Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy®, established under the leadership of dairy farmers, announced its sixth annual U.S. Dairy Sustainability Awards in a June 28 Chicago ceremony. The program recognizes dairy farms, businesses and partnerships whose practices improve the well-being of people, animals and the planet. Kinnard Farms, Casco, won a national award for Outstanding Dairy Farm Sustainability. The farm was one of three national winners in their category.
Award winners represent the U.S. dairy community’s voluntary efforts towards continuous improvement in sustainability. “This year’s winners devised new ways to protect our land, air and water. And they’re proactive about building strong relationships with their communities and employees,” said Barbara O’Brien, president of the Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy. “Throughout the dairy value chain, all sizes of dairy farms and companies use sustainable practices because it’s good for the environment, good for their community and good for business.”
Judges evaluated nominations based on their economic, environmental and community impact. The independent judging panel — including experts working with and throughout the dairy community — also considered learning, innovation, scalability and replicability.
The award announcement recognized the Kinnard Family for their innovative ways to maximize water, soil and cow comfort while supporting their rural community. “They retain the area’s young, college-educated residents by employing them to innovate farm technology. The Kinnards are often on the cutting edge; they made a first-of-its-kind sand recycling center—one that uses no freshwater in the process—to separate, wash and dry sand for repeated use. Sand is this farm’s preferred bedding material because it provides comfort and sure footing for cows and is bacteria free, keeping udders healthy.”
“The Kinnard family is dedicated to continuous improvement in cow comfort and soil health, allowing them to grow the farm sustainably and preserve their rural community’s agricultural roots,” said Chad Frahm, senior vice president, Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy. “We commend them for their impressive practices.”
According to Nathan Nysse, a senior agronomist with Tilth Agronomy, who nominated the farm for the award, “Kinnard Farms takes a responsible approach to farming, keeping social, economic and environmental impacts top-of-mind. The Kinnard Family remains focused on maintaining soil quality and health and keeping their land in crop production for a long period of time, while protecting our surface and groundwater. The family owners have strong values, personal integrity and a willingness to exceed regulations to make sure their dairy farm is good for the people and the planet.”
The additional winners in the Outstanding Dairy Farm Sustainability category were SwissLane Farms, Alto, Michigan, and Rickreall Dairy, Rickreall, Oregon. Additional winners in other categories included:
Outstanding Dairy Processing & Manufacturing Sustainability
Glanbia Nutritionals, Evanston, Illinois
Outstanding Achievement in Resource Stewardship
Kellercrest Registered Holsteins, Inc., Mount Horeb, Wisconsin
Outstanding Achievement in Community Partnerships
Oakland View Farms & Midshore Riverkeeper Conservancy, Caroline City, Maryland
Honorable Mentions included:
Food Bank of Eastern Michigan, The Kroger Co. of Michigan, Michigan Milk Producers Association and Michigan State University Extension, Novi, Michigan
U.S. Dairy Education & Training Consortium Extension, College Station, Texas
Mercer Vu Farms, Mercersburg, Pennsylvania
About the U.S. Dairy Sustainability Commitment
The U.S. Dairy Sustainability Awards program is supported by generous sponsors. This year’s sponsors are: DeLaval, Elanco, Syngenta and World Wildlife Fund.
The 2016 U.S. Dairy Sustainability Report is the sixth progress report published by the Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy to update stakeholders on the progress of the U.S. Dairy Sustainability Commitment, an industrywide effort to measure and improve the economic, environmental and social sustainability of the dairy community.
To learn more, visit USDairy.com/Sustainability.
Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy® is a forum for the dairy industry to work together pre-competitively to address barriers and opportunities to foster innovation and increase sales. The Innovation Center aligns the collective resources of the industry to offer consumers nutritious dairy products and ingredients, and promote the health of people, communities, the planet and the industry. The Board of Directors for the Innovation Center includes dairy industry leaders representing key farmer organizations, dairy cooperatives, companies, manufacturers and brands. The Innovation Center is staffed by Dairy Management IncTM. Visit USDairy.com for more information about the Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy
