Alma, Ontario dairy farm recognized for their efforts during Dairy Farmers of Canada Annual General Meeting
FREDERICTON, July 16, 2014 /CNW/ - Today, Dairy Farmers of Canada (DFC) is pleased to announce that Clovermead Farms, Inc. in Alma, Ontario, owned and operated by the Whale family, won the Dairy Farmers Sustainability Award, sponsored by DeLaval Canada.
Clovermead Farms' philosophy is not just to take care of the land, but to improve it. The farm is a living example of what happens when the triple bottom line is considered - environmental responsibility, social equity and financial viability.
"Since its inception in 2011, this award recognizes dairy farmers with innovative sustainable practices that improve the social, environmental and economic impact of dairy farming in Canada," said DFC president, Wally Smith. "We are pleased to take this opportunity to award an Ontario family farm who are striving to protect and improve our environment."
"Sustainability is an integral part of our dairy industry and DeLaval is committed to help dairy farmers' efforts in becoming more efficient and profitable with less impact on the environment," stated Andrew Ritchie, managing director, DeLaval Inc. - Canada. "DeLaval is proud to offer Canadian farmers with solutions to optimize efficiencies and sustainability on their farms.''
Accepting the award today on behalf of Clovermead Farms, Inc. was Korb and Kelly Whale. Seventh generation farmers, Korb and Kelly, own this farm with Korb's parents, Bruce and Deborah Whale.
"I am honoured to accept this award on behalf of our entire family," said Korb Whale. "We are absolutely committed to continue using technology and techniques to produce food on our farm while improving the world we live in. We have the ambition of working towards a carbon-neutral farm."
The selection committee, consisting of nine sustainability experts, was particularly impressed with the Whale's efforts in producing electricity, bedding and high quality fertilizer by using an anaerobic digester that turns cow manure into biogas. Additionally, the Whale family is committed to maintaining a minimum of 10% of their land base as wildlife habitat and forest, with wildlife corridors made of tree rows to connect woodlots and streams.
The finalists' profiles and a video of the winners' farm are available on the DFC website.
The other three finalists, Dykstra Farms, (Knowlesville, New Brunswick), Ferme Clobert Inc. (Saint-Bonaventure, Quebec) and Bakerview EcoDairy (Abbotsford, British Columbia), will receive a trophy and a $1,000 prize during the upcoming annual general meeting of their respective provinces.
About Dairy Farmers of Canada
Run for farmers by farmers, Dairy Farmers of Canada (DFC) is the voice of Canadian dairy farmers. DFC is the national policy, lobbying and promotional organization representing Canada's farmers living on 12,529 dairy farms. DFC strives to create stable conditions for the Canadian dairy industry, today and in the future. It works to maintain policies that foster the viability of Canadian dairy farmers and promote dairy products and their health benefits.
Image with caption: "Congratulations to Clovermead Farms for winning the 2014 Dairy Farm Sustainability Award at the Dairy Farmers of Canada AGM. From left to right: Wally Smith, DFC president, Kelly and Korb Whale from Clovermead Farms, and Jason Cleveland, DeLaval Canada. (CNW Group/Dairy Farmers of Canada (DFC))". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20140716_C7925_PHOTO_EN_42142.jpg
Video with caption: "Video: dfc_vnr_20140716_en_sd.mp4". Video available at: http://stream1.newswire.ca/cgi-bin/playback.cgi?file=20140716_C7925_VIDEO_EN_42151.mp4&posterurl=http://photos.newswire.ca/images/20140716_C7925_PHOTO_EN_42151.jpg&clientName=Dairy%20Farmers%20of%20Canada%20%28DFC%29&caption=Video%3A%20dfc_vnr_20140716_en_sd%2Emp4&title=DAIRY%20FARMERS%20OF%20CANADA%20%28DFC%29%20%2D%20Clovermead%20Farms%20wins%20the%20Dairy%20Farm%20Sustainability%20Award&headline=Clovermead%20Farms%20wins%20the%20Dairy%20Farm%20Sustainability%20Award
SOURCE: Dairy Farmers of Canada (DFC)
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