LIVERPOOL, N.Y. — As an industry, we know that we are only successful when we take the best possible care of the natural resources with which we’ve been entrusted. The Environmental Stewardship Award annually recognizes the outstanding stewardship practices and conservation achievements of a New York beef producer.
The winner of this award is commended for their commitment to protecting the environment and improving fish and wildlife habitats while operating a profitable operation.
This year’s winner will also be nominated for regional recognition through the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, a contractor to the Beef Checkoff. The ES Award considerations include the management of water, wildlife, vegetation, air, and soil along with leadership abilities and the sustainability of the business.
The common trait among all winners is the deep desire to leave the land in better shape for future generations while also inspiring the next generation of land stewards.
As beef producers, your industry is challenged daily with your sustainability and environmental stewardship practices. You are often the focus of ag industry antagonists and skeptics from the average consumer to politicians creating policies to ban meat from menus. It is this award, that spotlights the industry and producers giving producer families a voice so they can take a stand and tell their story of stewardship of land, animals, and mother nature.
It is again my humble pleasure and honor to announce this year’s Environmental Stewardship Award Winners: Lamb Farms.
Lamb Farms is a family dairy operation owned and operated by the Lamb and Veazey families. Lamb Farms was founded in Oakfield, NY in 1966. Ten years later, Leslie and Gordon Lamb added Jim Veazey as a partner on the farm. The farm continues operating under the management of the next generations of both families for over 55 years!
The operation consists of 5 farms in New York and 1 farm in Ohio. The Lambs raise their crops for feed on approximately 13,000 acres, in addition to their crops they milk 6500 cows and raise 7500 heifers. The home farm and satellite farm in Oakfield, NY each have a rotary (carousel) milking parlor both are popular sites for visitors. The Lamb Farms has had two methane digesters installed in recent years this gas is captured and piped off-farm.
The operation produces feed for the cattle on their farm, growing acres of corn and alfalfa. The farm is continuously improving its tillage and crop rotation practices to reduce soil erosion and eliminate nutrient runoff. A prime example is their use of a zone builder which through GPS technology only tills the soil exactly where the corn will be planted.
The Lamb family believes that “Farmers are caretakers of their animals and the land. We care about implementing sound environmental practices that will allow future generations the same opportunities that we have had.” “Dairy farming is a natural way of recycling nutrients to produce a delicious product. The cows make manure, which we use to fertilize the crops that we grow to feed the cows. We work with a certified environmental planner to ensure that this is done in an environmentally responsible manner.”
We want to thank all involved at Lamb Farms for their continued dedication to being stewards of the land congratulate them on receiving the 2021 Environmental Stewardship Award and wish them luck in the Region 1 NCBA submission.
–New York Beef Council