Dairy Farm Sustainability Award: Finalists announced

OTTAWA, June 28, 2012 /CNW/ - Dairy Farmers of Canada (DFC) is pleased to announce the finalists for the new Dairy Farm Sustainability Award, which is sponsored by Lely Canada.

"This Award recognizes farms with innovative practices that go beyond industry standards and generally recommended practices to reduce their environmental footprint," said Mr. Wally Smith, DFC President. "While this is the first year DFC offers a sustainability award, sustainable dairy practices are not new. They've been passed on by generations of farmers who learn more everyday and do a better job with each passing day."

The four finalists selected for their commitment and innovation are:

• Charles Hill and Son Ltd. (Nova Scotia);
• Ferme M. Grenier et fils ltd. (Quebec);
• Lakeside Dairy (Alberta);
• Sunholm Farms (Ontario).

The winner will be announced on July 18, 2012 at DFC's Annual General Meeting in St. John's, Newfoundland, where they will receive a trophy and a $2,000 cash prize. The other three finalists will each receive $1,000. For more information on the four finalists, please visit dairyfarmers.ca

DFC received 14 nominations, which a selection committee evaluated on the basis of environmental sustainability, financial viability, social benefits and the reproducibility of practices on other farms. In other words, these finalists hold successful family businesses, pay attention to details in caring for the land and contributing to strong local communities and are a reference for other farmers who want to continue improving their own practices.

Environment Canada reports that between 1990 and 2009, greenhouse gas emissions from dairy manure management and from cows (who are ruminants) decreased by 21%. In 50 years, the number of dairy cows in Canada has dropped by 50%, while we produced more milk with fewer resources (improved crops with fewer inputs, which also results in reduced emissions from farming.

We want to thank our selection committee, which includes sustainability experts from academia, government and other agricultural groups who reviewed the nominations and judged, from their diverse perspectives, the merit of farmers' interest in sustainable development, their respect for the land and their innovative practices.

• Karen Beauchemin, Ph.D., research scientist (ruminant nutrition), Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada
• Shabtai Bittman, Ph.D., research scientist (soils, forages and field crops), Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada
• Chantal Foulds, agronomist and director, Coordination services-conseils (CSC)
• Ralph Martin, Ph.D., Loblaw Chair in Sustainable Food Production,  professor, University of Guelph
• Greg Northey, Director of Environment Policy, Canadian Federation of Agriculture
• Dennis O'Grady, General Manager, South Nation Conservation
• Jean-Pierre Revéret, Ph.D., Vice-President, AGÉCO Group; Professor and Co-holder International Life Cycle Chair, University of Quebec in Montreal
• Ron Versteeg, dairy farmer, Vice-President Dairy Farmers of Canada
• Marina von Keyserlingk, Ph.D., professor, NSERC Industrial Research Chair, University of British Columbia

Thérèse Beaulieu
Assistant Director, Strategic Communications
[phone] x 2751