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Environmental Stewardship on the Dairy:
California's Pro-Active Approach 

Committed Community Partners
California dairy farms are family owned and operated businesses. Dairy families live on their dairies and are committed to improving the quality of life in their communities. As community partners, dairy families are committed to producing high quality dairy products with a correspondingly high degree of environmental awareness and stewardship.  

Meeting and Exceeding Environmental Standards
California dairy farms face some of the most stringent environmental regulation in the nation. In meeting and exceeding these regulations, California dairy farms are establishing a successful track record promoting the stewardship of land and water resources. New dairies must be approved by regional air and water quality agencies to ensure environmental compliance and protection. Additionally, in partnership with state and federal environmental protection agencies, the California Dairy Quality Assurance Program (DQAP) was created to promote best management practices and enhance environmental stewardship on dairies throughout the state.

Minimizing Impacts to Land and Water
Livestock waste management systems, or nutrient management systems as they are known by dairy operators, are an integral and essential component of modern dairy operations. Nutrient management systems allow dairies to utilize livestock nutrients without jeopardizing water supplies and the air we breathe. By returning the nutrients to the land as a vital plant and crop nutrient, use of commercial fertilizers is reduced while land and water resources are protected.

Dairy Nutrient Management

A Typical California Dairy

Animal manures are a natural resource, which can reduce reliance on commercial fertilizers. While dairy manure is often referred to as “waste” by uninformed critics, it is actually an organic fertilizer (nitrogen) that is applied to feed crops grown by dairy operators. Modern dairies are designed as “closed-cycle” operations where cow manure is returned to the land as part of an integrated nutrient management system. Recycling animal wastes to the land as nutrients offers an environmentally and economically sustainable solution to dairy waste management issues.


California Dairy Farms: A Cycle of Renewal
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California Dairy Farms: A Cycle of Renewal
    

 

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