conserving water while producing milk
By Dylan Waldhuetter, AWS Program Manager
Happy National Dairy Month! As the weather warms, I’m often reminded of childhood drives on rural Wisconsin roads: three-quarters of my body hanging out the car window, waving at the dairy cows as the car passed by farm after farm. Growing up in Wisconsin, I remained fond of the dairy cows as I learned the importance of dairy to the economy of the state and its impact on water resources.
In 2019, I had the opportunity to work closely with Miltrim Farms, a dairy in Marathon County, Wisconsin that became the first farm in North America to achieve certification to the Alliance for Water Stewardship International Water Stewardship Standard (AWS Standard). The commitment of the farm to good water stewardship and the actions it took informed by implementation of the AWS Standard led to numerous benefits for the farm, its stakeholders, and the surrounding watershed. Miltrim Farms is demonstrating that dairy farms can be leaders in water stewardship, while remaining profitable. This National Dairy Month, I encourage you to check out my conversation with David Trimner, general manager at Miltrim Farms, as he shares insights from the farm’s water stewardship journey.
The interview with Miltrim Farms was part of our 2020 podcast series, Water Sessions. Click here to see all the episodes or search for Water Sessions in your favorite podcast app.
