Union County farm receives Environmental Stewardship Award
COLUMBUS, Ohio - New Day Farms, LLC in Raymond has been named the winner of the 2009 Environmental Stewardship award by the Ohio Livestock Coalition (OLC) and the Ohio Poultry Association.
The Environmental Stewardship Award annually recognizes the many accomplishments made by family farmers to protect the environment and conserve natural resources.
The three-generation family-led operation is the first poultry operation under the Ohio Department of Agriculture's (ODA) jurisdiction to compost 100 percent of its manure products.
New Day Farms holds four Ohio EPA Class III Composter Licenses and Fertilizer Certificates through the ODA. The farm's composting process transforms normal chicken litter into a dry product with an earthy consistency, with stabilized nutrients that won't leach into waterways and ponds. The process also helps to control odors and insects, is approved for organic use, while the compost is sold to many field-crop and vegetable growers across the state, as well golf courses and athletic fields. The natural fermentation process has the additional benefit of turf disease suppression, which reduces the need for pesticide applications.
"New Day Farms has incorporated various management practices that protect and enhance the environment and precious natural resources while ensuring productivity and profitability," said Ohio Livestock Executive Director Sandy Kuhn. "In doing so, it has minimized its footprint on the environment by working to preserve and improve water and air quality, to protect the land and to promote wildlife."
OLC coordinates the Environmental Stewardship awards program while seven cooperating member organizations ’Äì the Ohio Cattlemen's Association, Ohio Dairy Producers Association, Ohio Pork Producers Council, Ohio Poultry Association, Ohio Sheep Improvement Association, Ohio Soybean Association and Ohio Corn Growers Association ’Äì sponsor the individual commodity awards along with Ohio's Country Journal.