As thousands of Ohioans participate in various Earth Day activities throughout the month of April, dairy farmer Lou Brown of New Bremen goes about his business as he does every day – meticulously caring for his animals, producing safe, high-quality dairy foods, and making sure he takes care of the environment in the process.
For Brown and his fellow Ohio dairy farmers, Earth Day is every day.
This land is "our" land
Ohio's dairy farmers take their role in protecting the land, air and water on their farms very seriously. After all, the majority of dairy farmers, including Brown, live where they work and are committed to maintaining healthy communities.
"My family lives on this land, breathes the air and drinks the water," said Brown. "We have a responsibility to ourselves and to our community to take good care of the environment, especially because our farm is only three miles from Grand Lake St. Mary's."
Nutritious dairy products begin on the farm. Not only do Ohio dairy farmers care for their cows and calves by providing a nutritious diet, good medical care, and healthy living conditions, but they also work hard to conserve natural resources and minimize the environmental impact in everything they do -- from properly managing manure, to protecting the rivers and streams and reducing odors and air pollutants.
The scoop on cow poop
Dairy farmers regularly recycle cow manure to help control odor in their communities. Manure is moved from barns and placed in temporary storage areas, which can include pits, tanks and holding ponds, until it can be used as fertilizer.
To help ensure that manure runoff doesn't get into the water supply, farmers develop nutrient management plans. They follow strict guidelines as to when they can apply manure, so that nutrients are absorbed by the crops and not by the groundwater.
Farmers diligently monitor weather and ground conditions to help determine ideal application times, when runoff will be the least likely to occur. Additionally, farmers protect nearby lakes, rivers and streams by planting buffer strips of thick, heavy grasses and plants on crop fields to prevent manure runoff.
At Brownhaven Farm, they not only plant buffer strips and cover crops to prevent manure runoff and protect the water supply, Brown says they also use concrete catch basins and tile stops, as well as no-till practices, to prevent erosion. To encourage wildlife habitats, they plant a quail buffer along the wooded areas that may be difficult to farm. They also put in wetlands about seven years ago, as a natural place for wildlife to gather.
"We take pride in everything we do, whether it's with our cows, our crops or our land," said Brown, whose farm received an environmental stewardship award by the industry. "We will continue to use the latest technological innovations to improve what we do, because we want future generations to inherit not just a well-cared-for farm but our commitment to environmental stewardship, as well."
Learn more about how Ohio's dairy farmers work hard to protect the environment at www.drink-milk.com.