Meet the winners of the 2018 U.S. Dairy Sustainability Awards

The U.S. Dairy Sustainability Awards is an opportunity for the industry to recognize how innovation and creativity sparked by one farm, one person or one organization can have a ripple effect that goes well beyond their farm gate or front door.

This year, the seventh-annual awards celebration took place in Lombard, Ill., a suburb of Chicago, to honor the dairy farms, businesses and partnerships whose practices improve the well-being of people, animals and the planet. This year’s winners addressed water quality, manure management, recycling and more.

Judges evaluated nominations based on their economic, environmental and community impact. The independent judging panel — including experts from academic institutions, government, dairy science organizations, nongovernmental organizations, business and trade media — also considered innovation, scalability and replicability.

Award winners represent the U.S. dairy community’s voluntary efforts toward continuous improvement in sustainability practices that benefit their businesses, communities and the environment. Learn more about the winners below.

Outstanding Dairy Farm Sustainability

E-Z Acres of Homer, N.Y.

At E-Z Acres Farm, the ties between the farm and its neighbors run deep – at least as deep as the aquifer (water in an underground layer of glacial outwash) that provides drinking water to the surrounding region. Brothers Mike and Pete McMahon, who own and operate the farm, take their roles as environmental stewards seriously. With a focus on their local water quality for more than 20 years, they manage fertilizers and reduced phosphorous use by 30%, protecting waterways and much more. In addition, through rigorous community outreach and frequent voluntary monitoring of wells, they keep their neighbors informed about the safety of the local water supply.

Reinford Farms of Mifflintown, Pa.

With a digester in place and a beneficial location, Reinford Farms found they were uniquely positioned to begin collecting food waste from their area’s grocery stores and food manufacturers. However, these items often arrived in packaging their farm’s digester couldn’t process. To solve the issue, the dairy installed a depackager that separates the food from its packaging, allowing cleaner food waste to be piped into the digester. The farm now recycles 6,000 to 12,000 gallons of food waste daily and has kept more than 35,000 tons of waste out of landfills in the past 10 years.

Royal Dairy of Royal City, Wash.

Last summer, Austin Allred put millions of worms to work on his farm. And now they’re busy processing cow manure day and night. The manure is filtered through worm-dense soil, wood shavings and gravel. The result? Reduced odors and greenhouse gas emissions – and the opportunity to recycle thousands of gallons of water on the farm each day. Allred’s novel approach for his farm is a product of his collaboration with BioFiltro, a Chilean firm that creates worm filtration systems for wastewater treatment globally. Last year, Allred’s 6,000-cow farm became the largest U.S. dairy to use the technology.

Outstanding Dairy Processing & Manufacturing Sustainability

The Kroger Co. of Cincinnati, Ohio

The Kroger Company unveiled its “Zero Hunger | Zero Waste” initiative last year to end hunger in its communities by 2025 and eliminate waste across its company by 2020. Their sustainability commitment – reducing, reusing and recycling cardboard, paper, pallets, packaging and food waste – has yielded impressive results. Kroger’s 19 dairy plants around the country have diverted more than 1.46 billion pounds of material from landfill in the last few years, reaching a rate of 97-percent diversion in 2017. Its commitment has also benefitted the company financially. Kroger’s dairy processing facilities have generated more than $4.7 million in recycling revenues since 2010.

Outstanding Supply Chain Collaboration

Magic Dirt of Little Rock, Ark.

Getting a peat moss replacement made from dairy cow manure into Walmart stores in 43 states is no small feat. But partners throughout the supply chain – from farm to retail – rose to meet consumers’ demand for a more sustainable gardening product. And they did it quickly. In just a few years, Magic Dirt was innovated and distributed nationwide thanks to dairy farmers’ enterprising spirit and Walmart’s logistical and marketing expertise.

Outstanding Achievement in Community Impact

Tillamook County Creamery Association of Tillamook and Portland, Ore.

This creamery on the coast of Oregon does more than provide jobs and delicious dairy products. It contributes to its community through donations and volunteer work. In fact, Tillamook County Creamery Association implements its vision to make a positive impact on housing, education, hunger and more through generous donations and employee-led volunteer work. Regional pride, the farmer-founders’ work ethic and an interconnected community make their social innovation compelling and impactful.