Oregon Dairies Focus on Sustainability and Innovation

Oregon’s Rickreall Dairy was one of three dairies that were honored for their work on sustainability on the farm, but they are hardly the only example of efficiency and sustainability in Oregon.

Wym Matthews, manager of the Oregon Department of Agriculture’s Confined Animal Feeding Operation said that word, sustainability, means different things to different dairy producers in the Beaver State.

“Making sure they have quality employees for the farms. Making sure farms are meeting environmental requirements and rules. Making sure their farms are profitable because if they are not profitable, they are not going to stay around. And also being a good community member.”

Dairy farmers also can place animal waste on crops, safely, to make sure that they use less fertilizer and turn a potential problem into a solution.

Dairy farmers are used to high standards and high expectations with Matthews noting they’ve been doing it for decades.

“The state has always felt that stewardship was the responsibility of a farmer.  They chose a permit program for dairies mainly because of the liquid waste component. Our dairies have lived with that expectation for a long time. Many of them have been innovative in how they achieved that compliance.”

Many Oregon dairies have been operating for up to five generations, but those dairies have adapted to environmental standards and regulations by embracing sustainable practices.