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Erath County dairies strive to present favorable image |
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By MANDY SPIKES | Central Texas Edition |
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June 26, 2003 -- Some dairies in Erath County have been under attack in the past year regarding the management practices of their operation, especially when dealing with waste management. One way to show the public the importance dairymen place on keeping a pro-active approach in waste management, as well as other areas of their farm, is to participate in the Dairy of Merit award program. The Dairy of Merit award, which has been around since the early 1980's, is designed to recognize dairies that are doing a good job presenting a neat and attractive appearance. The program, sponsored by the Erath County Dairy Committee and the Stephenville Chamber of Commerce, recruits three out-of-county judges to judge each of the participating dairies during a certain time frame. Each farm is scored based on the appearance of the buildings, how clean and orderly the roadway and fences are when entering the area, the landscaping of the farm, if there is any evidence of rubbish, how neat and orderly the pens are for the animals and fowl, how clean the cows are, and if there is any apparent pollution of streams or waterways. Signs are presented to dairies that score a 90 or above out of a possible 100. Any dairy that received the award last year and fails to maintain appearance standards will have their award removed at the time of rejudging. "The main purpose of having this recognition is to encourage producers to present a clean and wholesome image," explained Joe Pope, County Extension agent for agriculture. "How each farm looks is a direct tie to what each farmer is producing." Pope said less people are involved in agriculture production so they don't understand it. "In this business, you will have situations that might arise and the general public might not understand the reason behind it. This recognition proves to the people that these farmers are running clean and neat operations. "It's important for producers to run a clean operation because it prevents accidents from happening and it's important for the health of the animals. We also want the neighbors and the general public to see this good image." He stated that Erath County is highly visible from a dairy standpoint because tourists come to the area to see dairy farms. "At the same time, environmentalists and neighbors might be looking at the farm, so it's necessary to project a positive image to them. "Even though many dairies could receive the recognition, they choose not to apply for various reasons. We must respect their wishes. Regardless of their participation, we do encourage all producers to keep a neat and clean operation," he said. "The entire agricultural industry is vital to our local economy," stated Jeff Sandford, Chief Executive Officer of the Stephenville Chamber of Commerce. "Hundreds of jobs are affected by the success of the industry." Sandford said the presentation of this recognition serves two purposes. The first purpose is that it brings the industry into a positive light. The second is it encourages dairies to look at their operation from a different viewpoint. "With so much negative press going on with the dairy business, it's nice to have something positive come out of it. "Dairymen are hard working people. It shows through this award their ability to present their operation in a very positive manner. We don't have the award to tell them how to operate their business because they are the experts." Sandford wants to give a lot of credit to Joe Pope and the dairy committee for their continual efforts to support the industry and put it into a positive light. "I also want to congratulate to the Tri-County Agriculture Business and the Chamber agriculture industry for their dedication to creating both awareness and excitement about the dairies in our area." The dairies that were awarded the recognition this year are:
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