Jim and Carol Biddle of Williamsburg, Pa., Caleb and Alice Crothers of Rising Sun, Md., joined Laura Landis of Stevens, Pa., to represent all dairy farmers from the ADA North East region last week at the Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay’s “Taste of the Chesapeake” event that brings together business leaders, conservationists, and other Bay stakeholders.
“You have to decide what issues are important to you and then prioritize them,” said Biddle, an avid environmentalist. He also added that his son Josh, with whom he is in partnership, believes that if you want to make changes within the dairy industry, “you have to have a seat at the table to add to the discussions.”
ADA North East partners with the Alliance on many environmental campaigns to emphasize dairy farmers’ commitment to protecting land and water resources with their farming practices. Most recently is a project highlighting dairy farmers’ efforts to establish riparian buffers along streams, as part of a special project of the Pennsylvania Dairy Promotion Program (PDPP).
Five videos were developed around the campaign to highlight dairy farmers’ roles in sustainability and protecting local waterways in the Chesapeake Bay watershed. A social media outreach effort is planned for later this fall.
