Participating farmers included Katie Dotterer-Pyle of Cow Comfort Inn Dairy in Union Bridge, Md.; Mike McMahon from E-Z Acres Farm in Homer, N.Y.; and Chris and Laura Landis of Worth the Wait Farms in Stevens, Pa.

“We have a responsibility, when you farm in an environmentally sensitive area, to protect it, and our first concern is the neighborhood around us,” said McMahon. “And even though we’re 250 miles away from the Bay, preservation starts here.”

The panel discussion was facilitated by Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay Chief Executive Officer Kate Fritz and ADA North East Director of Environmental Outreach Ron Ohrel.

“Collaborating with environmental partners helps build trust in our dairy farmers’ on-farm practices and in their commitment to stewardship,” said Ohrel. “It’s important for us to be involved in these conversations and to share our positive stories as consumers express more and more interest in sustainability and responsibly-produced foods.

“Farmers are environmental stewards, and they always have a great story to tell.”

To hear the conversation and to see individual farm videos featuring the three participating farmers, click here, or visit AmericanDairy.com, and click on “Your Local Dairy Farmers – A Sustainable Story” under Dairy Diary.