Pa. dairy farms commit to sustainability through riparian buffer

Dairy Checkoff campaign to raise consumer awareness of farmers’ environmental efforts

 

The Pennsylvania Dairy Promotion Program, working through American Dairy Association North East, and in partnership with the Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay, is building consumer trust in dairy by highlighting dairy farmers’ environmental commitment.

The partnership involves planting trees to promote on-farm riparian buffers along waterways to help keep water clean and improve quality in local streams that lead into the Chesapeake Bay.

“Dairy checkoff is sponsoring a public relations campaign around the riparian buffer project to raise consumer awareness of dairy farmers’ commitment to sustainability and to protecting local waterways in the Chesapeake Bay watershed,” said ADA North East CEO Rick Naczi. “Assuring consumers that dairy farmers are putting environmental issues at the top of their priority lists goes a long way to building trust in the milk they’re producing.”

The campaign will include advertising through social media outlets to boost consumer awareness. The advertisements set to launch next month will include messages from dairy farmer Leroy Troester of Mifflinburg, Pa., where 850 trees were planted, and from spokespersons for all organizations involved.

In addition, ADA North East enlisted the help of former Philadelphia Eagle and dairy advocate Jason Avant to participate in another planting event on a Lancaster County dairy farm to help amplify dairy farmers’ environmental commitment.

“Partnerships like these are perfect examples of how dairy farmers and other groups can come together to provide solutions to important environmental issues,” said Avant in a video clip.

Read more about ADA North East and PDPP’s riparian buffer education programs here.

Photo caption: Former Philadelphia Eagle and dairy advocate Jason Avant and the Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay’s Ryan Davis plant a tree as part of the riparian buffer campaign to protect local waterways.