Environmental Leadership
It's What farmers Do
Creating Renewable Energy on a Yakima Dairy FarmOUTLOOK, Wash. – Dan DeRuyter, owner at George DeRuyter & Sons Dairy, sums up the dairy farm storyline well: “Without the manure, you don’t have fertilizer for your crops, but if you use it in the right way, it can be a benefit in many different ways.” For this Yakima dairy farm, manure provides an opportunity not just for improved crop production, but also for increasing sustainability far beyond the farm’s borders...READ MORE
Working Toward a Carbon Negative DairyROYAL CITY, Wash. – Royal Dairy has its sights set beyond ‘carbon neutral.’ Instead it’s looking for carbon negative solutions that actually capture and store more carbon than the dairy emits.
Being carbon neutral is something that many businesses aspire to, but reaching carbon negative has recently been recognized as a real possibility for Washington dairy farms READ MORE Innovative Irrigation on Whatcom Dairy FarmsLYNDEN, Wash. – Two Whatcom County dairy farmers recently became owners of an innovative, efficient irrigation system. Crediting support from the Whatcom Conservation District and Farmers Equipment, Leroy Plagerman and his son, Leighton, of Bel Lyn Farms both spoke highly about their new 360 Rain irrigation system. READ MORE
New System at Darigold Plant Supplies Clean Water to the Nooksack RiverWHATCOM COUNTY, Wash. – The Lynden Plant is what Darigold, a northwest dairy farming cooperative, calls their ingredient plant. Using milk shipped in from dairy farmers across Whatcom County, they produce milk powder that supplies food processing facilities all over the world.
Yet this isn’t the only “ingredient” that Darigold contributes...READ MORE How Falcons are Securing Whatcom Berry CropsLYNDEN, Wash. – Whatcom County berry farmers are turning to a surprising method of protecting their crops from a damaging pest…without the use of pesticides or lethal means.
The European Starling can eat up to 15% of a fruit crop and cause even more in damage and spread of disease. Pest control for deterring starlings comes in many forms. For Enfield Farms, a berry grower in Whatcom County....READ MORE Riparian Zone Buffer Benefits on FarmsEVERSON, Wash. – “When it comes to buffers, there’s not really a one-size-fits-all” says Gavin Willis, Ag Water Board of Whatcom County. On Alluvial Farms, Katie Pencke and Matthew McDermott established a 180 foot buffer at their first-generation hog and hemp farm located on a tributary stream of the Nooksack watershed.
According to Willis, “A buffer is a section of riparian zone plantings in between the creek and....READ MORE Conservation Easement on
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Washington's family farmers have been showing strong leadership in environmental performance for years:
It’s time that farmers let you know what we’ve been doing to keep this the best place possible to live by providing real environmental action and leadership. It’s not just empty talk. It’s REAL: Real Environmental Action and Leadership. |
