Dairy Farmers of America (DFA), a national cooperative owned by family farmers, is proud to recognize one of its member farms, Schrack Farms Resources in Loganton, Pa., for receiving the 2018 Innovative Dairy Farmer Award from the International Dairy Foods Association (IDFA) and Dairy Herd Management magazine.
The Innovative Dairy Farmer of the Year Award honors farms that are improving efficiency through progressive management practices, production technologies and/or marketing approaches. Schrack Farms Resources was recognized at an award ceremony during Dairy Forum 2018, which took place January 21-24 in Palm Desert, Calif.
“Schrack Farms Resources is a role model for environmental stewardship, and we are proud to have them as members of DFA,” says Brad Keating, chief operating officer, Northeast Area. “Their ongoing commitment to not only employ sustainable practices on their farm, but also advocate for these practices within the industry, is a great example for how farmers can innovate and impact future generations.”
An early adopter of renewable energy methods, Schrack Farms Resources, which is operated by Jim Harbach and his brother-in-law Kevin Schrack, along with their sons Doug, Andy and Nathan, and Jim’s son-in-law Mikey, has been utilizing a methane digester on the farm for more than 10 years. With this digester, 50 percent of its generated electricity is returned to the power grid, and the solids from the digester are used as cow bedding. Schrack Farms Resources also has been completely no-till for the past 30 years and has added significantly to the soil health and water filtration on their crop land. Additionally, the farm is a leader and advocate, both in the local community and in the state. Jim Harbach has spoken to many policy leaders about the benefits of no-till and cover cropping farming methods as well as hosted tour groups from the industry, the community, local public schools and area colleges.
Judges evaluated nominations for the 2018 Innovative Dairy Farmer of the Year award based on current methods, as well as positioning to meet future economic and business challenges. For more information about the Innovative Dairy Farmer of the Year award, including past winners, visit idfa.org/about-idfa/awards-recognition/innovative-dairy-farmer-of-the-year.
Dairy Farmers of America (DFA) is a national dairy marketing cooperative that serves and is owned by more than 13,000 members on nearly 8,000 farms in 48 states. DFA also is one of the country’s most diversified manufacturers of dairy products, food components and ingredients, and is a leader in formulating and packaging shelf-stable dairy products. For more information, call 1-888-DFA-MILK (332-6455) or visit dfamilk.com.
