When thinking of Earth Day, recycling and planting trees may come to mind, but how does our food and eating habits affect our communities? In Wisconsin, we a fortunate to have a diverse and productive agriculture community. Our farmers are constantly working hard to produce high-quality products and care for the land and resources they use. From feeding distiller’s grains and reusing water to planting cover crops and utilizing renewable energy, many farms are finding ways to manage their resources and reduce their carbon footprint.
Farmers often live on or near the land that they farm and work collaboratively with experts to develop environmental and animal care best practices. One way that Wisconsin farmers are implementing sustainable solutions is through digesters, which turn cow manure into energy. Micro-organisms break down organic materials like cow manure or food waste in a process called anaerobic digestion. This happens in a closed tank, where there is no oxygen, called a digester. There, bacteria break down the cow manure and food waste, creating biogas, which can be used for electricity, heat, compressed natural gas, and even vehicle fuel. Electricity is created and farmers are able to repurpose the solid materials as animal stall bedding or garden fertilizer. There are currently more than 30 manure digesters in Wisconsin.
Energy is important on farms and so is the energy animals can receive from their diet. Farmers often feed distillers grains or spent grains from ethanol or beer production. Normally, these would go into a landfill once we have our beer in hand or gas in the tank. However, our cattle in Wisconsin have what I like to call a superpower. They can take these grains and turn them into protein for our families. In fact, 90 percent of what cattle eat is grass or leftovers that humans cannot eat. Farmers work with experts like nutritionists and veterinarians to create a diet plan for their animals and make sure their animals are healthy.
Farmers and their local communities also play a part in the water quality solution. Clean lakes, rivers, and streams and safe drinking water start with smart, sustainable farming practices. Farm families drink the same water everyone else does and work hard to ensure that water is safe and clean. They also use the water to tend to their land and animals. There are 41 farmer-led watershed groups in Wisconsin. Farmers work with government agencies, researchers, environmental groups, conservation professionals, soil scientists and other agricultural experts to understand how they can best care for their land and resources.
Everyone from farmers raising food to customers who enjoy it have a responsibility to work together and care for the environment. Some ways that we can be more sustainable food eaters is by reducing our food waste. Three ways to help do that is by proper food storage, freezing perfect portions, and re-purposing leftovers. Go to BeefTips.com or WisconsinCheese.com to find recipes using beef and dairy products.
— Julia Nunes is the 74th Alice in Dairyland, Wisconsin’s agriculture ambassador who works with media professionals to educate consumers about the importance of agriculture to Wisconsin’s economy and way of life. She can be reached at julia.nunes@wisconsin.gov.
