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Stonyfield Organic
Stories Grant
We want to thank all those who took the
time to vote for out hydroelectric pond project! We were blessed to
win 4th place and $2,000!
We would also like to congratulate the other winners! First place
and $10,000 went to George and Cherry Teague of Reedy Fork Farm in
North Carolina, they will use the grant money to upgrade their feed
mill. Second place went to Chad and Regina Beidler of Beidler Family
Farm in Randolph Center, Vermont. Their seeds cleaning facility will
be very much improved by winning $7,500 through the Stonyfield
grant. Third place winners are Peter and Kelly Mahaffy of River Bend
Jerseys in Coos Bay, Oregon. They also won $7,500 and will be
building a covered compost shed to use waste from local seafood
processors. Fifth place went to John and Juli Bansen of Double J
Jersey Farm in Monmouth, Oregon. Their grant award of $2,000 will be
used toward a walk through fly trap for their cows. And in sixth
place we have Dana and Carol Shirk of Tuscola County, Michigan. They
were also awarded $2,000 and will be using that to build an aquifer
fed pond that will aid in pasture irrigation and provide drinking
water.
After spending the beginning of the summer harvesting hay for winter
feed now as fall approaches we have time to work on site
preparation. We are still clearing trees and working through the
process of creating the pond. Picture will be coming soon!
Project Details:
In November of 2010 CROPP/ Organic Valley Farmers were invited to
apply for a grant opportunity through Stonyfield. Stony field’s
vision was for a yearlong project sharing organic stories and
supporting organic farming." Grants will be awarded for projects
that focus on helping to improve the long-term viability of organic
farming and the impact of organic farming practices on the
environment,” stated the letter explaining the Stonyfield grant.
On December 13th 2010 the Jerry Snyder Family received a phone call
from Stonyfield Organic Yogurt, informing them that they were one of
six finalists chosen for the Organic Stories Grants.
Two years ago the Snyder family began clearing pole timber to
reclaim an idle wooded area for increased pasture for the dairy
herd. In the process we became aware of the need to redirect water
from the pasture land.
The project will direct the excess water flow from neighboring land
into a 1 acre pond, which will store the water, to then be piped
downhill about 75' in elevation (1800' distance), to run a turbine
that will generate electricity to help operate the farm.
The excess water, which would have made the pasture too wet for use
will be used as a power source, and the pasture season will be
extended.
Sunny Cove Farm Hours
Tuesdays and Fridays 2:00
p.m. to 5:00 p.m. at 1444 Randolph Road Alfred or by appointment at
607-587-9282
Sunny Cove Farm Tours
We will also be giving tours of our grass-based organic dairy
operation during September and October. Come and learn about
sustainable organic farming by calling 607-587-9282 for an
appointment.
Organic Farm Tours
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Adults |
$10 |
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Children |
$5 |
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Under 5 yrs. |
Free |
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