THE GREAT
Volume 26, No. 19
See pages 24 and 25 of this section for details!
“All dairy, all the time”™
November 23, 2024
Measurement Building the American dream for better Verhoefs immigrate management to farm on their terms Using carbon footprint, credits to capitalize on sustainability efforts By Danielle Nauman danielle.n@dairystar.com
ATHENS, Wis. — Dairy farming in the 21st century can be complex, and understanding what it means to be sustainable, and how to achieve it, is paramount. Farmers knowing their carbon footprint number and understanding carbon credits to capitalize on sustainability efforts were explained at the Professional Dairy Producers’ “Carbon, Crops and Cows” workshop Nov. 12 at Miltrim Farms Inc., near Athens. “ F o r years we have been hearing from our European counterparts about Carson Dugger how susLead Agronomist Eocene Environmental tainable Group they are because they have a carbon footprint number,” said Shelly Mayer, executive director of PDP. “The U.S. dairy farmer is leaps and bounds ahead — the most sustainable — but we need to know that number to be able to make that claim. If you can’t measure it, you can’t manage it.” In response to the global drive towards sustainability, Mayer shared that PDP has developed Your Farm — Your Footprint, a farmer-led sustainability initiative aimed at empowering dairy producers to understand their environmental footprint and assist them in implementing solutions to help shape the future of their farm. Lead agronomist Carson DugTurn to CARBON | Page 2
By Dan Wacker
dan.w@dairystar.com
SPRING GREEN, Wis. — Agriculturalists Pieter and Lynn Verhoef have dairy farmed on two continents: Europe and North America. Growing up on a dairy farm, Pieter said he always had a passion for the dairy industry. That passion has taken him and his family around the globe, and they now operate a dairy in Spring Green where they milk 300 cows. Pieter grew up in the Netherlands on his family’s dairy farm near Lopik and went on to work as a professional diesel mechanic. Turn to VERHOEFS | Page 6
DAN WACKER/DAIRY STAR
Pieter (from leŌ), Lynn and Yannic Verhoef stand in their double-10 milking parlor Nov. 7 on their farm near Spring Green, Wisconsin. The Verhoefs immigrated from France in 2012 to start a dairy with fewer limitaƟons.
Sustainably focused
PHOTO SUBMITTED
The management team at Double S Dairy — Drew Buiter (front, from leŌ), Kyle Ter Beest, Ridge Grams, Mike Perry and Butch Guenther; (back, from leŌ) Cal Loomans, Bob Hagenow, David Smits, Dan Smits, Steve Smits and Adam Franken — gather Nov. 14 outside the milking parlor near Markesan, Wisconsin. The team, which received the 2024 NaƟonal Dairy Farmers Assuring Responsible Management Program Excellence Award in Environmental Stewardship, milks 1,500 cows.
Double S Dairy earns environmental stewardship award By Stacey Smart
stacey.s@dairystar.com
MARKESAN, Wis. — From the elds and feed center to the barns and parlor, capturing efciencies in every area is the goal at Double S Dairy LLC.
The farm is committed to proactively pursuing environmentally responsible practices that are gentle on the environment and positive for protability. As a result of their efforts, Double S Dairy received the 2024 National Dairy Farmers Assuring Responsible Man-
agement Program Excellence Award in Environmental Stewardship. The team at Double S Dairy, which milks 1,500 cows near Markesan, employs a full-circle approach to environmental stewardship that is founded on a belief Turn to DOUBLE S | Page 8