JUNEAU, Wis. — The Professional Dairy Producers® (PDPW) announce the 2017 Water Tours, in partnership with UW Discovery Farms, to provide local elected officials, dairy producers and community leaders the opportunity to see the latest in water management practices. The tours will be held Wed. & Thurs., June 21 and 22, departing from and returning to Marshfield and River Falls, Wis., respectively each day.  The chartered bus tour will depart at 9 a.m. and return by 3:30 p.m.

“Preserving the quality of our most precious resource – water – is the top priority for farmers, businesses and communities,” said Cassandra Mayer, Program Manager and Dairy Farmer in Slinger, Wis. “The Water Tours offer not only a first-hand look at new technologies and practices, but also an open dialogue for a diverse group of stakeholders to find solutions we can implement together.”

The June 21 tour departing from Marshfield will include stops at:

• Marshfield Wastewater Treatment Plant, to see the city’s natural treatment system that uses microbes instead of chemicals to treat wastewater.
• Eron Agronomics, to learn about soil and water conservation efforts in the Farmers of Mill Creek Watershed.
• Mullins Cheese, to tour the wastewater treatment plant at the largest family-owned and operated cheese factory in Wisconsin.

The June 22 tour departing from River Falls will include stops at:

• City of River Falls, to see storm water best management practices that follow standards above and beyond DNR requirements.
• Ellsworth Creamery, to tour the only bio tower in the state that processes food wastewater.
• Dry Run Watershed, to learn about on-farm research and conservation strategies

Space is limited and each day’s tours includes bus travel, refreshments and lunch. To learn more about the 2017 Water Tours and to register, visit www.pdpw.org or contact PDPW at 1-800-947-7379.

The Water Tours are accredited trainings and offer up to 4.5 Dairy AdvanCE continuing education units (CEUs) for each day. To learn more or secure credits, visit www.DairyAdvance.org.

Professional Dairy Producers (PDPW) is the nation’s largest dairy producer-led organization of its kind, focusing on producer professionalism, stakeholder engagement and unified outreach to share ideas, solutions, resources and experiences that help dairy producers succeed.”

— Professional Dairy Producers

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