Monument Farms Dairy Recognized for Stewardship Efforts
[02/07/08]

The Lake Champlain Basin Program is honoring three farms in New York, Vermont and Quebec for their exemplary efforts to reduce pollution entering the Lake Champlain watershed. Monument Farms Dairy is the 2007 Lake Champlain Farm Award recipient for Vermont, and received their award at the statewide Dairy Banquet held at Barre Auditorium on January 31, 2008. The New York and Quebec farms will be announced in the next few weeks. All three farms, nominated by agricultural organizations, have also been recognized for their community leadership and willingness to share techniques for reducing pollution.

Monument Farms Dairy, a third generation family farm, is a vital dairy center for the town of Weybridge, Vermont. The bottling facility sits on a bluff overlooking the Lemon Fair River which flows into Otter Creek. Looking west, Snake Mountain rises up on the far side of the Lemon Fair. Peter James is the head of the farming operation, responsible for herd management and crop management duties. His brother Bob James heads up their dairy product distribution and their cousin, Jon Rooney, manages the processing facility. Peter’s aunt, Millicent Rooney, part of the second generation of the family business, is still very active in the financial end of the Monument Dairy today.

In 1931, Richard James, Peter’s grandfather, purchased the farm and soon began bottling milk and selling it directly to local families. Today, many local grocery stores and co-ops from Addison to Franklin County carry Monument Dairy products. While the original farm was 28 acres, the James family now milks over 400 cows and manages about 2,000 acres of land. Many of the acres managed by the James family are dedicated to wildlife habitat and wetland conservation, providing some of the best hunting and fishing areas in the Otter Creek watershed. The James family has always been dedicated to forward thinking. They are continually searching for better ways to lessen their impact on the land while improving the land through sustainable farming practices. Monument Dairy has been following a nutrient management plan for several years and strives to exceed the state’s regulations regarding water quality. The farm regularly rotates crops to lower soil erosion, applies manure based on calculated agronomic rates, maintains buffers on all fields along water ways and continues to look for ways to improve on its overall soil fertility. The James family has large tracts of land conserved with the Vermont Land Trust and has conserved development rights on a portion of the family’s original farmstead.

“Because agricultural production contributes a significant amount of phosphorus toward Lake Champlain, it is important that the Lake Champlain Basin Program recognize farmers who are taking exemplary voluntary steps to reduce pollution from their farms,” said Bill Howland, Lake Champlain Basin Program manager. “These award recipients lead by example, going beyond regulatory requirements in their effort to protect the waters that flow to Lake Champlain.”

The LCBP partnered with the Vermont Agency of Agriculture, the New York Department of Agriculture, the Vermont Farm Bureau, Clinton County Soil and Water Conservation District, the Quebec Ministry of the Environment and Parks, the Dura Club of Bedford, the Monteregie sustainable advisory club and the Centre de service du MAPAQ during the award nomination process.

For further information or to learn how to nominate a farm in 2008, contact Colleen Hickey the Lake Champlain Basin Program at (800) 468-5227.

2006 Awards

Four farms were recognized in 2006 for their exemplary efforts beyond regulatory programs to reduce pollution entering the Lake Champlain watershed. The farm families, nominated by agricultural organizations, were also recognized for their community leader-ship and willingness to share pollution reduction techniques.

Giroux’s Poultry Farm, Chazy, NY
Roger Giroux, along with sons Craig and Willie, operate this third generation poultry operation—the largest in New York with over one million eggs packed daily. Located within the shoreline communities of Champlain, Chazy, Beekmantown, and Plattsburgh, the Giroux’s have taken many steps to reduce impacts to Lake Champlain’s water quality. Feed for the laying hens is evaluated and balanced with phosphorus reduction in mind. Manure is dried on-site and made into certified organic fertilizer grade compost that is delivered to buyers in New York, Vermont, New Hamp-shire, and Maine. Local growers benefit from the Giroux’s custom spreading service, which de-posits compost on farm fields at precise tonnage rates. Much of the grain feed is farm-grown and corn and soybeans are grown in rotation, utilizing reduced tillage techniques on tile drained lands. The Giroux’s have also completed a compre-hensive nutrient management plan that guides manure spreading by field.

Fermes Gasser Ltée, Pike River, Québec
In 1966, Ernest Gasser and family’s dairy and steer farm became the first agricultural com-pany farm in Québec. In the 1980s, they fenced out cows from the river and invested their own funds in a trial methane system utilizing cow ma-nure. A manure spreading management program also reduces chemical fertilizer use. To reduce soil erosion and protect waterways, they installed two kilometers of windbreaks and shrubs. The Gasser family reduces soil impact with their tillage methods and participates in agricultural research. Ernest Gasser is recognized as strong agri-cultural leader in Québec, presenting information to local agricultural and environmental audiences and to the Vermont Citizens Advisory Committee. He has also served as president of the Pike River Cooperative for eight years. Many family members have served as municipal officials and as farmers’ union administrators.

Gosliga Farm, Addison, VT
Jake Gosliga and family operate a beautiful second generation dairy farm highlighted by the dramatic background of Lake Champlain and the Adirondacks, with lands that stretch to the Dead Creek wildlife area. Jake was one of only 10 farm-ers to participate in a UVM Extension class that taught farmers to write and implement nutrient management plans. Working with challenging clay soils, Jake rotates crops to lower soil erosion and applies manure based on correct agronomic rates. Well maintained stream buffers and grass waterways on all field ditches reduce pathogen runoff from manure spreading. Manure and milk house waste are directed to a storage pit. The Gosliga Farm has worked extensively with Ben and Jerry’s agricultural soil research program and UVM researchers, providing them with unlimited access to farm fields as they refine the Vermont Phosphorus Index. To improve wildlife habitat and water quality, the farm has designated nesting area for snow geese and main-tains many acres of woodland.

Burtland Farm, Georgia, VT
Jason and Christina Burt have established themselves as leading young farmers, operating a 250 cow free-stall dairy that includes over 1,000 tillable acres along the Georgia shoreline. The farm produces over six million pounds of milk for the St. Albans Co-op. As a founding member of the Farmers’ Watershed Alliance in the north lake, Jason is pro-active in protecting Lake Champlain’s water quality, installing buffer zones along waterways and controlling silage leachate. To encourage other farmers, Jason has spoken at public meetings and has worked with the media to share the techniques used on his farm. The 2006 farm award recipients are known for effectively working with state, federal and pro-vincial agricultural agencies and incorporating many best management practices to protect water quality. While agriculture is a significant source of the Lake’s phosphorus problem, it is important that the LCBP recognize farmers who take extra voluntary steps to reduce pollution. The LCBP thanks the Vermont and New York agriculture agencies, the Vermont Farm Bureau, Clinton County Soil and Water Conservation Dis-trict, the Québec Ministry of Sustainable Develop-ment, Environment and Parks, the Dura Club of Bedford, the Montéregie Sustainable Advisory Club, and the Center de Service du MAPAQ for their assistance in the award nomination process. Additional thanks go to the citizens and organiza-tions who submitted the many nominations.

2005 Awards

The Lake Champlain Basin Program announced the first annual Lake Champlain Farm Award recipients for New York, Vermont and Quebec in April 2006. The three farms are located within the 8,234 square mile Lake Champlain watershed which straddles the United States and Canada. The 2005 award recipients include Dimock Farms of Peru, New York, the Conant's Riverside Farm, LLC, of Richmond, Vermont and Fraisière Rougi et fils, Inc. located in Ste-Sabine, Quebec. Ceremonies were held within each jurisdiction to recognize the recipients before an audience of their peers.

"We sought farms that voluntarily reduced pollution flowing to Lake Champlain and its tributaries," noted Bill Howland, Lake Champlain Basin Program Manager. "The Dimock, Conant, and Roussel families are all first rate farmers. We applaud their efforts to keep the waters of the Lake Champlain Basin healthy."

Dimock Farms, Peru, NY
Don and Martha Dimock's dairy, which they have owned for 35 years, is located on Route 22B in Peru, New York. They awake many mornings to a beautiful sunrise over nearly half a mile of fields with a view toward Vermont's Green Mountains. As their farm grew from its original 60 cows to more than 250 milkers, their son Bruce became an official farm partner. Their daughter Anne also works on the farm daily, managing the feed operations.

Located in the Little AuSable watershed, the layout of the Dimock Farms has changed since the 1980's, and now includes a strip cropping system that protects the sandy loam soils. The system was installed without government cost-share funds, utilizing technical assistance from the Clinton County Soil and Water Conservation District. By changing the field layout to run perpendicular to a sensitive wetland, providing grass waterways to filter runoff, and adding an additional filter at the end of the fields, the family protected the nearby wetland. The land is also an ideal location for New York State DEC's pheasant release program and is often host to many snow geese and Canada geese during migration.

The Dimocks have implemented many best management practices to reduce nutrient, toxin and pathogen runoff to Lake Champlain. They provide a buffer between their tilled soils and the nearby roads and ditches. The Dimocks have a current comprehensive nutrient management plan, and have reduced the amount of phosphorus imported onto the farm through animal feed. Consequently, better management equates to lower levels of phosphorus in the soils and less phosphorus runoff to Lake Champlain.

Fraisière Rougi et fils, Inc, St. Sabine, Quebec
The Fraisière Rougi et fils, Inc has been in business since 1989. Gilbert and Isabelle Roussel and their sons Marc-Andre and Patrick manage the farm. Their crops include strawberries, asparagus, pumpkins, squash, tomatoes, peppers, melons, raspberries, sweet corn, onions, potatoes, and grapes. The Roussels have been very good stewards of the land, using reduced tilling, planting windbreaks and shrubs to protect the fields and reduce soil erosion, and leaving a significant buffer between their crops and nearby waterways. They also use mechanical means to control weeds in their sweet corn and use biological controls for insects.

From a community outreach perspective, the Roussels are members of the sustainable agricultural club, Dura Club of Bedford, members of La Cooperative de soildarité du basin versant de la rivière aux Brochets , and participants in Open Door operations of the local farmers union. Being good neighbors, they have also offered technical assistance to other farmers for planting windbreaks.

Conants Riverside Farm, Richmond, VT
David and Deb Conant, Kim and his wife JoAnne Conant, and their families operate a beautiful fifth generation dairy farm. Their large red barns and fields, located on the banks of the Winooski River, are visible from Interstate 89. The Conants' Riverside Farm incorporates about 1,000 acres of land, with 600 acres of cropland and over 600 animals, including 380 milking cows.

The Conants have implemented many practices to protect the waters of the Winooski River, including vegetative buffers along streams flowing into the river, as well as similar buffers along the riverbanks. They have a modern waste management system and control runoff from the barns and feed storage areas. They work closely with the Natural Resource Conservation Service to implement these practices. In 2005, a Comprehensive Management Plan was developed specifically for the farm that details soil, water and nutrient management practices for the farm.

"We are very honored to be recognized, along with our peers, for our conservation stewardship by the Lake Champlain Basin Program," states David Conant. "Our commitment to water quality has been and will continue to be an integral part of our dairy operation. We realize the vital role we play in the health of our water quality and are encouraged that the LCBP understands, as we do, that there is a delicate balance between the health of the waters in the Lake Champlain Basin and the economic heath of the farms in this region. We feel strongly that the integrity of both need not be compromised to reach our unified goal of a healthy Vermont."

Since 1991, the Lake Champlain Basin Program has been working with many organizations and agencies in New York, Vermont and Quebec to reduce phosphorus levels and other pollutants entering Lake Champlain. The three farm award recipients have taken additional voluntary measures to reduce pollutants and manage their farms using environmentally friendly methods. These practices often make sense both ecologically and economically for the farm families. Members of all three families also serve on community and agricultural boards.

The LCBP partnered with the Vermont and New York Departments of Agriculture, the Farm Bureau, Soil and Water Conservation Districts, the Quebec Ministry of Sustainable Development, Environment, and Parks, the Dura Club of Bedford, Quebec, the Monteregie sustainable advisory club, and the Centre de service du MAPAQ during the farm nomination process.