OTTAWA, May 4, 2012 /CNW/ - Dairy Farmers of Canada (DFC) is pleased to welcome Lely Canada as sponsor of the Dairy Farm Sustainability Award. Lely's corporate vision for a sustainable and profitable future in farming corresponds well to the objective of the award: to recognize Canadian dairy farmers who have adopted sustainable practices within their farm management planning.
DFC President, Wally Smith, is happy that Lely Canada is sponsoring the award, saying that "with its robotic milking systems, Lely is a leader in innovation. So, too, are the Canadian dairy farmers who have applied for the dairy farm sustainability award."
"I believe dairy farming in itself is an environmentally-friendly endeavour," said Jerry Claessens, General Manager of Lely Canada. "However, as we learn more and apply new technologies we increase the sustainability of the process by reducing inputs and improving the end product."
DFC received 14 nominations for the sustainability award from across the country, showing that dairy farmers are interested in sustainability and being good and innovative stewards of the land. Four finalists will be selected based on their environmental, social and economic commitment. One of them will be chosen as the winner. The award will be presented to the winning farm at Dairy Farmers of Canada's next Annual General Meeting in St-John's, Newfoundland on July 18, 2012.
Lely Canada has a network of 19 centers serving the Canadian market, where it provides specialized equipment that allows the automation of daily tasks such as milking cows, distributing feed to cows and calves, cleaning the barn, and also forage harvesting. Lely has sold more than 12,500 milking robots worldwide, with Canada being in the top five countries for annual sales. On the environmental side of dairy farming, Lely is actively involved in the development of energy-neutral manure treatment systems that would allow for nutrient separation; the goal is to refine these systems to be able to use them to supply energy in the future.
DFC is the national organization representing Canada's dairy farmers, striving to create stable conditions for the Canadian dairy industry, today and in the future. On the environmental side, DFC invests in research that will continue to reduce farming's impact on the environment and promotes practices that improve sustainability and viability of dairy farms, as well as save money and energy.
Thérèse Beaulieu
Assistant Director, Strategic Communications
613-236-9997 x 2751
Share this article