Pictured: Paul Cornette
For the past four years, as part of an ongoing sustainability project, Peninsula Pride Farms’ members have used sustainability metrics to inform their farm management decisions.
The release of the PPF Sustainability Project year four results demonstrates continuous improvement in sustainability and water quality among this group of farmers in Door and Kewaunee Counties.
Eleven farms managing over 34,000 acres and 40,000 head of dairy cattle participated in this project. The project will be completed next year, with five years of data collection and analysis.
“Even though Peninsula Pride Farms is nearly 10 years old, our members remain as committed as ever to measuring the impact our farming practices have on our natural resources and finding new ways to improve when it comes to conservation,” says Paul Cornette, PPF member and co-owner of Cornette Dairy. “This project serves as an excellent example of their commitment.”
Key findings from the PPF Sustainability Project year four results include:
- Conservation practices: On average, farms use two or more conservation practices in each of their analyzed fields. The most used sustainable farming practices within the group include reduced tillage, cover crops, no-till and grassed waterways.
- Water quality: Of the reported acreage, 91% has mitigated the risk of excessive nitrogen loss to the subsurface.
- Soil erosion: The average rate of soil erosion for corn grain over the four-year project period was 0.97 tons per acre per year, significantly lower than the state benchmark of 3.5 tons per acre per year for corn grain.
- Energy use: The group’s energy use, 209,632 btu per ton for corn silage, measured 33% better than the national indicator.
