COLUMBUS, Ohio — MVP Dairy, LLC was announced June 14 as a U.S. Dairy Sustainability Award winner for their holistic approach to sustainability and commitment to achieving carbon neutrality. This national award honors exceptional dairy farms, dairy processors and others working to improve the wellbeing of people, animals and the planet.
“Our 2021 winners put U.S. dairy’s great diversity on full display with farms and businesses of all sizes, from coast to coast, showing how dairy is an environmental solution,” said Barbara O’Brien, CEO of the Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy.
The Ohio dairy farm is owned by the McCarty and VanTillburg families, whose comprehensive approach to sustainability is rooted in everything they do – from soil health to manure management to animal care.
To conserve natural resources, the MVP Dairy team carefully manages regenerative farming practices that recharge the soil, promote biodiversity, sequester carbon and efficiently use natural resources.
These practices have resulted in a reduction of 6,755 tons of carbon dioxide equivalent last year, which is comparable to the average yearly energy use of 662 American homes. MVP Dairy was also able to sequester 1,842 tons of carbon and save 5,499 tons of soil from erosion, an equivalent to 344 dump trucks of soil.
MVP Dairy also implements an extensive biodiversity program which includes pollinator habitats, dedicated wetland areas and buffers. The dairy farm is home to more than 20 wildlife boxes, including owl, bird, duck, insect and bat boxes, and has planted more than 700 trees on-site since it was built in 2019.
We try to incorporate sustainability into every aspect of our dairy,” Says Kyle VanTilburg, “Our family has been farming here for more than 100 years and we take a lot of pride in our community and preserving the land for generations to come.
MVP Dairy’s innovative practices and top-notch animal care can be seen first-hand at their on-farm Dairy Learning Center, Inc, which offers public farm tours and interactive displays share milk’s journey from soil to yogurt cup. The center helps the MVP team operate transparently and is a space that the local community can be proud of.
The American Dairy Association Mideast nominated MVP Dairy for the award. “The U.S. dairy community is committed to achieving carbon neutrality or better by 2050,” says Scott Higgins, CEO of the American Dairy Association Mideast. “MVP Dairy is leading by example and uncovering new practices and technologies in sustainability to benefit dairy farms across the country.”
The U.S. Dairy Sustainability Awards are presented by the Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy. Over the past decade, the center has honored nearly 80 U.S. dairy farms, businesses and collaborative partnerships. The awards are judged by an independent panel of dairy and conservation experts who consider innovation, scalability and replicability when choosing winners.
— American Dairy Association Mideast
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