ARDEN HILLS, Minn. (June 29, 2017) — Oakland View Farms, a Land O’Lakes, Inc. dairy memberowner located in Ridgely, Maryland near the Chesapeake Bay, is the winner of the Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy’s 2017 Outstanding Achievement in Community Partnership Award announced this week at the U.S. Dairy Sustainability Awards in Chicago.
Oakland View Farms received recognition for their efforts to reduce nitrate concentrations in the Chesapeake Bay watershed in partnership with the Midshore Riverkeeper Conservancy (MRC) by implementing Maryland’s first woodchip bioreactor. Since its installation in 2013, they have reduced nitrate concentrations by 100 percent, which helps prevent water quality issues like algae blooms. “Sustainability in agriculture is about partnering with organizations in our area and contributing to bettering our community. We’ve seen a lot of great results and for us, it helps us stay in business longer,” said Richard Edwards, owner of Oakland View Farms. “We’re excited about the future of ag and are always looking for new technology that’ll help us become better, more sustainable farmers down the road.”
Since this pioneering relationship began in 2010, more relationships between MRC and the agriculture community have been established with six additional woodchip bioreactors installed across the region. “Oakland View Farms’ partnership with Midshore Riverkeeper Conservancy to restore and protect the waterways of Maryland’s eastern shore serves as a model for others across the country. Their use of woodchip bioreactor to mitigate nitrogen runoff from manure is both practical and effective,” said Chad Frahm, senior vice president, Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy.
Additionally, Mercer-Vu Farms, a Land O’Lakes dairy member-owner located in Mercersburg, Pennsylvania, received an honorable mention for Outstanding Achievement in Resource Stewardship for its complete manure management system. Mercer Vu Farms improved its surrounding air and water quality by eliminating 3,500 tons of greenhouse gas emissions a year (the equivalent of removing 740 cars from the road) and separating 40 percent of the phosphorus out of liquid manure. The system maximizes the value of its manure and increase the economic viability of its operation while better protecting the Chesapeake Bay watershed.
This marks the fourth consecutive year that Land O’Lakes member-owners have been recognized for onfarm sustainability practices.
"As a farmer-owned cooperative, we congratulate all winners, past and present, for their commitment to sustainability,” said Matt Carstens, senior vice president of Land O’Lakes SUSTAIN. “We look forward to working together with member-owners to create innovative solutions on farm.”