As part the dairy industry’s commitment to sustainable production and building consumer trust in dairy, American Dairy Association North East, Pennsylvania Dairy Promotion Program and Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay partnered with Kurtland Farms, Elverson, Pa., to plant 326 trees on more than one acre.
The partnership involves promoting on-farm riparian buffers along waterways to help keep water clean and improve quality in local streams that lead into the Chesapeake Bay.
“Projects like this help raise consumer awareness of dairy farmers’ commitment to sustainability and to protecting local waterways in the Chesapeake Bay watershed,” said ADA North East CEO John Chrisman. “Assuring consumers that dairy farmers are putting environmental issues at the top of their priority list goes a long way in building trust in the milk they’re producing. “
Pennsylvania Dairy Promotion Program Chair Lolly Lesher added, “By working with conservation groups like the Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay, dairy farmers are keeping their eyes on the future, ever mindful of taking the best care of the environment as they produce nutritious food for the community.”
Assisted by a dozen volunteers from The Hershey Company and Land O’Lakes dairy cooperative, saplings were planted along a headwaters creek of the Conestoga River on Kurtland Farms. Funding for the project was made possible through grants awarded to the Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay and its partners. In 2023, the Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay will plant more than 14,000 of 45,000 trees on Pennsylvania dairy farms.
This work is helping dairy farmers achieve a shared U.S. dairy commitment of greenhouse gas neutrality – or better – by 2050.
Learn more about ADA North East’s conservation efforts at https://www.americandairy.com/trees.