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Wisconsin farms among sustainability award winners

Two Wisconsin farms were honored for their ongoing sustainability efforts.

Kinnard Farms from Casco was named an Outstanding Farm Sustainability winner.  The Kinnard family uses satellite technology for manure application to avoid shallow bedrock, along with no-till and cover crop strategies to keep nutrients in the soil.  They also designed the first-of-its-kind sand bedding recycling center that doesn’t use fresh water.

An Outstanding Achievement in Resource Stewardship award went to Kellercrest Registered Holsteins from Mount Horeb.  The Keller family saw cost savings as well as environmental benefits when they shifted to no-till practices and a different manure application method on their hilly cropland, and the Pleasant Valley Watershed has seen significantly lower phosphorus levels because of the changes.

The Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy presented their 2017 Dairy Sustainability Award winners at a ceremony in Chicago Wednesday.

Here’s the full list of Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy 2017 Sustainability Award winners:

Outstanding Dairy Farm Sustainability

Kinnard Farms, Casco, Wisconsin
Rickreall Dairy, Rickreall, Oregon
SwissLane Farms, Alto, Michigan

Outstanding Dairy Processing & Manufacturing Sustainability

Glanbia Nutritionals, Evanston, Illinois

Outstanding Achievement in Resource Stewardship

Kellercrest Registered Holsteins, Inc., Mount Horeb, Wisconsin
Honorable Mention: Mercer Vu Farms, Mercersburg, Pennsylvania

Outstanding Achievement in Community Partnerships

Oakland View Farms & Midshore Riverkeeper Conservancy, Caroline County, Maryland

Honorable Mention: Food Bank of Eastern Michigan, The Kroger Co. of Michigan, Michigan Milk Producers Association and Michigan State University Extension, Novi, Michigan

Honorable Mention: U.S. Dairy Education & Training Consortium Extension, College Station, Texas