Environmental Stewardship – About the ES

Committed to the Environment - CDQA Environmental Stewardship Module

CDQA's environmental program helps California dairy producers understand and meet federal, state, regional and local requirements for water and air quality. The certification program is an unprecedented partnership among California's dairy industry, federal, state and regional government agencies and the UC Cooperative Extension.

The Environmental Stewardship Partnership Agreement includes a three-step program for facility certification:

Step 1.  Education - Dairy producers must complete six hours of water quality and two hours of air quality education courses.  CDQAP courses are taught by UC Cooperative Extension and cover environmental issues of particular interest to dairy producers, regulatory requirements, facility evaluation, best management practices and management plan creation.

Step 2.  Environmental Stewardship Farm Management Plans - Each dairy producer evaluates their specific farm conditions and prepares appropriate management plans tailored to their facility.  Where applicable, required regulatory plans can be used to meet CDQAP management plan requirements.

Step 3.  On-site Independent Evaluations - Dairies that have completed the education courses and created farm management plans are eligible for independent third-party compliance evaluations to assess their facilities. Dairies successfully completing the evaluation become certified for environmental stewardship.

The California Dairy Quality Assurance Program (CDQAP) is a partnership of government, educators and the dairy industry, working together toward a single, shared goal: helping California dairy producers understand and comply with federal, state and local laws and regulations. CDQAP partners include:

California Dairy Campaign, California Department of Fish and Game, California Department of Food and Agriculture, California Environmental Protection Agency, California Farm Bureau Federation, California Manufacturing Milk Advisory Board, California Resources Agency, Milk Producers Council, Natural Resources Conservation Service, State Water Resources Control Board, Sustainable Conservation, U.S. Department of Agriculture, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, University of California/UC Cooperative Extension and Western United Dairymen

Program Overview: Partnership Agreement, Short Courses

Partnership Agreement: http://www.epa.gov/region09/animalwaste/dairyqa.html

CDQA Environmental Stewardship Certification

The 'Dairy Waste Management: an Integrated Approach to Education and Compliance Partnership Agreement' was signed September, 9, 1999 at the University of California, Davis. Herein it will be referred to as the Partnership Agreement.

The Partnership Agreement establishes a voluntary, cooperative government and industry environmental stewardship educational program. These Policies and Procedures establish minimum standards for certification. Unanimous consent of all designated representatives of the Partners is necessary prior to their implementation or for subsequent revisions. Continuity of the program is enhanced through participation of the designated Partners’ representative. Other interested parties such as the Regional Water Quality Control Boards (RWQCB) and the County Department of Health Services (DHS) are invited to participate in revisions of the certification checklist is made.

The ultimate goal of the California Dairy Quality Assurance Program’s (CDQAP) Environmental Stewardship module is to help ensure a healthful environment for the people and wildlife of the State of California. The key objective is to assist California dairy producers to meet all federal, state, regional, and local regulations relating to manure and nutrient management.

The Partnership Agreement establishes the responsibilities of each agency and acknowledges that the completion of environmental certification does not certify or guarantee that a facility is in compliance with environmental laws and regulations.

Requirements for Certification
Education
    Producer Education
    Partner representative education
    Training of consultants and others
    Educational review process
Participation on third party evaluation
Storage calculations
Uniform evaluation tool development and distribution
Partner responsibilities
Communication
Acknowledgment of certification
Re-certification process
Evaluator Training
Environmental Stewardship Checklist committee