New Guide Helps Lenders, Regulators Evaluate Dairy Farms
California Dairies: Protecting Water Quality, a new University of California publication, outlines key management practices that progressive dairy farmers employ to protect surface and groundwater. The guide is aimed at lending institutions, consulting engineers and crop management companies that work with dairy producers, as well as regulatory bodies like county environmental health departments and the regional water quality control boards.
“Dairy producers are faced with increasing scrutiny by environmental health and planning agencies.” said Stu Pettygrove, a UC Cooperative Extension (UCCE) soils specialist at UC Davis and one of several authors of the publication. “We’re happy to be able to share practical approaches and technologies that work to protect water quality.”
Pettygrove noted that wide-scale adoption of farming practices that protect the environment depends on awareness and support by agricultural businesses and regulatory agencies.
“California Dairies: Protecting Water Quality” was produced with funding from the California Department of Food and Agriculture’s “Buy California” Initiative, the USDA, the U.S. Clean Water Act, and the UC Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program (UC SAREP).
Some free copies are available from Pettygrove’s office; contact Tiva Lasiter at tlasiter@ucdavis.edu or (530) 752-1130.
