Passion for environmental responsibility and technological advancement
By Julia Romagnoli, University of Guelph Agricultural Communications Student, for Farms.com
It’s official: The national leader in dairy sustainability is Clovermead Farms, where environmental stewardship minimizes inputs while generating resources.
Clovermead Farms, owned by the Whale family in Alma, Ontario, was recently recognized for its proactive on-farm management plan that extends well beyond the regulatory requirements for dairy farming in Canada.
Clovermead operates a robotic milking facility and two anaerobic digesters that produce enough electricity to power five farms its size. The farm also recycles its cows’ bedding, while producing high quality fertilizer. This saves the family $15,000 in bedding costs and $15,000 in heating costs anually.
“It’s not only about caring for the land but improving it for the future,” says co-owner Korb Whale.
The incorporation of energy generation on-farm exemplifies the Whales’ passion for both environmental responsibility and technological advancement. The two anaerobic digesters have a capacity of one million litres each. The process removes 90% of the methane from the manure, drastically reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from manure storage. Domes on the top collect biogas, a mixture of methane and carbon dioxide, produced from the manure and organic matter as it heats and stirs.
All this leads to higher levels of sustainability.
Environmental sustainability involves limiting the number of inputs that are brought on the farm from external sources. Energy, fertilizer and bedding are a few of the largest inputs required in dairy production. “Through anaerobic digestion, we are able to reduce our environmental footprint, recycle waste and turn it into energy and pathogen-free nutrient-rich fertilizer,” says Whale.
In addition, the family has committed 10 per cent of its land base to remain as wildlife habitat and forests. This effort is consistent with the Whale family’s long-standing commitment to the environment, which started as a community recycling program it led some 30 years ago, to planting 50,000 trees on the farm property.
Participating in research studies conducted by the University of Guelph is another way this family is propelling the industry forward. Two of these projects include Dr. Bonnie Mallard’s High Immune Response (HIR) technology involving disease-resistant genetics, as well as Dr. Claudia Wagner-Riddle’s GHG Mitigation project.
Dairy farmers not only work hard to care for their cows day to day, but as the Whales’ efforts show, they are working to become more efficient and profitable with less impact on the environment.
Julia Romagnoli is a third year Animal Science student at the University of Guelph. Growing up in small-town Smithville Ontario, she developed a love for agriculture at a young age while working on her family’s fruit farm, on local dairy farms and through her involvement with 4-H. She has always loved being involved in the community and keeps busy through extra-curricular activities. On campus, she is Chairperson for the Student Federation of the OAC and Vice-President of Events for College Royal Society. Julia is passionate about the dairy industry and is a proud agvocate. In the future, Julia hopes to work in the dairy industry while exercising her skills in communications, marketing and outreach. This article is part of Julia's course work for the University of Guelph agricultural communications course, instructed by Prof. Owen Roberts.