Environmental Stewardship Facts - Milestones
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In the wake of severe dairy farm flooding in 1998, the CDQAP
steering committee directed that the environmental stewardship module receive
the highest attention. In this module, producers attend a short course at the
University of California at Davis (UCD), develop a pollution prevention plan,
and have their facilities certified as meeting all regulations by a third party
evaluator. The following progress has been made in meeting those goals.
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The California Dairy Quality Assurance (CDQA) program’s
success is tied to its support from all parties – dairyman, academia and
governmental agencies. Since its inception in 1997, the program has made
significant progress in providing dairymen with the tools they need to
proactively address dairy confidence concerns and navigate the many rules and
regulations that govern the industry.
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To date, more than 1,300 producers have completed the
six-hour environmental stewardship water course. More than 215 dairies have been
certified by completing a third-party facility evaluation and 25 dairies are in
the process of being certified. This means they will be able to display the new
“Environmentally Certified” CDQA roadside sign that made its debut this year.
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CDQAP involvement is paying off for producers in many ways.
For the first time, certified producers saw a reduction in Storm Water Permit
fees by the State Water Board. These fee reductions ranged from $200-2,000 per
year depending on the dairy size. The CDQAP also is negotiating with the Central
Valley Regional Water Board by providing written comments and presentations with
a goal of having CDQAP environmental certification serve as a method to document
compliance with a yet-to-be-adopted water permit.
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Air quality, a major concern for dairymen and consumers, also
is being addressed. The CDQAP delivered a new air quality curriculum to more
than 800 producers in workshops throughout the state. The program leveraged
university, state, federal and processor resources to do so, including a $50,000
grant from the US Environmental Protection Agency.
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Processors are heavily invested in the CDQAP program –
especially through the Community Alliance for Responsible Environmental
Stewardship or CARES. Made up of propriety creamery, cooperative and service
organization leadership, CARES spends its annual budget of $300,000 on
advocating industry views on environmental matters as well as assisting CDQAP
efforts. CARES funding allowed for the production of 200 roadside signs, an
informational CDQAP newsletter and brochure, and helped to finance air
workshops. CDRF support of CARES assists in outreach efforts for environmental
stewardship.
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Biosecurity and the safety of our food supply are important
to the continued survival of the dairy industry. By leveraging more than
$332,000 in government and philanthropic foundation grants, the CDQAP has
developed a Food Safety/Emergency Preparedness Module that is near completion.
The Module includes three videos on BSE Prevention, Biosecurity and Emergency
Response and will be rolled out throughout this year by various dairy
organizations. A collaboration between the CDFA, USDA and UC Davis, the program
is the most useful training tool on the subject available to dairy producers in
the country.
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Another successful collaboration has produced an education,
evaluation and certification package for Johne’s Disease prevention. More than
180 veterinarians have received special training and are available for on-farm
evaluations to develop Johne’s mitigation plans. Through the CDQAP, this service
is free to California producers as is cow blood testing and confirmatory fecal
testing for cows positive or suspect in blood testing. In addition to minimizing
the spread of Johne’s on a dairy, this program can also help reduce common GI
disease transmission on the farm and will save dairies money.
Michael Payne, DVM, Ph.D.
Program Director
California Dairy Quality Assurance Program
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