Miltrim Farms Inc. becomes first farm in North America to achieve water stewardship certification
Additional farms being recruited to participate in Clear Water Farms program
ATHENS (October 25th, 2019) – River Alliance of Wisconsin and The Alliance for Water Stewardship (AWS) North America announced today that Miltrim Farms, Inc.—a large dairy farm in Marathon County—is the first farm in the nation to certify their on-site water stewardship practices using the International Water Stewardship Standard (“AWS Standard”). The AWS Standard has already been adopted by major industry players, including MillerCoors, but it had not previously been applied to individual farming operations in North America until now.
River Alliance of Wisconsin’s innovative Clear Water Farms program guides agricultural production and processing facilities through the AWS Standard implementation and certification process, which concludes with a third-party audit to assess conformity. Through this effort, AWS and River Alliance of Wisconsin will develop a replicable approach for farms to reduce the amount of time and associated costs it takes to become certified on the AWS Standard.
Agricultural producers and processors, like other businesses, benefit from Clear Water Farms participation and AWS certification by gaining assurance that their operations meet all relevant regulatory standards.
Additional benefits of participation include:
- Reduction of risk in the supply chain.
- The ability to quantify the benefits of water stewardship and attract upstream consumers who are also attempting to achieve these goals.
- The potential to reach consumers who value water stewardship in their purchases.
- Significant environmental benefits by ensuring producers meet high standards for water use.
“Miltrim Farms is thrilled to be the first farm to be AWS certified through the Clear Water Farms program. We want to see this become standard practice for the industry. One of our big goals is to lower our environmental footprint per cow, as well as focus on lowering our total energy consumption per cow. We want to invest in and care for the water, land and community around us. The Clear Water Farms program helps us meet these goals.” shared David Trimner, general manager at Miltrim Farms.
“Farms like Miltrim are leading the way to the solution to our water crisis. AWS certification through the Clear Water Farms Program shows producers how to cut costs, help the environment, and strengthen local communities,” stated Raj Shukla executive director, River Alliance of Wisconsin.
“Clear Water Farms is scaling up by recruiting additional farms and agricultural processors in critical Wisconsin watersheds,” said Michael Tiboris, Clear Water Farms Director at River Alliance of Wisconsin. “With more sites we will be able to measure both environmental and economic benefits, and really assess whether this model can work at a state or national level.”
“Miltrim is leading the way for farms across North America because what we learn in Marathon County, AWS will apply with its partners to other farms in the US, Canada and Mexico,” said Matt Howard, director for AWS North America. “This partnership with Miltrim and River Alliance of Wisconsin is a great demonstration that Wisconsin can be a leader on water quality improvement and farm community economic development nationally.”
NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. While it is believed to be reliable, Urban Milwaukee does not guarantee its accuracy or completeness.
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