(AGENPARL) – mer 23 agosto 2023 Issued: Aug 23, 2023 (12:04pm EDT)
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EPA and Hershey together commit $2 Million to Land O’Lakes Member Dairy
Farms in PA
Funds will support clean water, climate, and sustainable farming initiatives
WASHINGTON BORO, PA – August 22, 2023 – The United States Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA) and The Hershey Company (Hershey)  announced today
the joint commitment of $2 million to support local dairy farmers. The
Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay (Alliance), in collaboration with Land
O’Lakes, Inc., will use funds to promote the adoption of practices that
support local and regional environmental goals with dairy farmers in Land
O’Lakes’ eastern region milk shed.
The Alliance, Hershey, and Land O’Lakes have been working together since
2021 on an initiative called “Sustainable Dairy PA.” The initiative takes
a collaborative, industry-led, and public sector-supported approach to
accelerate on-farm conservation efforts for local eastern region dairy
farmers.
The $2 million in funding is part of a commitment between the EPA and Hershey.
These funds, $1 million of which will be funded by the EPA and a matching $1
million of which will be committed from Hershey, will be used to support the
Alliance and Land O’Lakes in implementing agricultural conservation
practices on Land O’Lakes member dairy farms. The National Fish and Wildlife
Foundation (NFWF) will administer the portion of the funds provided from EPA
to the Alliance. 
“Dairy farmers are critical to our supply chain and our local
communities,” said Leigh Horner, Chief Sustainability Officer, The Hershey
Company. “We are proud to support the work of Sustainable Dairy PA and the
farmers participating as they drive meaningful impact on clean water and
conservation efforts to protect the Chesapeake Bay.”
As a key partner and funder in this work, EPA understands the need to support
corporate initiatives like these. The Alliance has been developing agriculture
supply chain programs since 2018, leveraging approximately $16M in public and
private funding to assist over 150 farmers. Dairy farming is an essential
component of the economy and a source of wholesome local food. Supporting
farmers with funding and expertise to help them improve water quality and
reduce the environmental impacts of dairy farms is essential. These practices
also help improve the long-term sustainability of the farms with the goal of
improving soil health and the overall efficiency of the operations. 
“EPA’s funding commitment to Hershey, Land O’Lakes, and the Alliance for the
Chesapeake Bay brings $2 million of much-needed support to Pennsylvania dairy
farmers to scale up conservation practices that are good for our farms,
climate, local streams, and the Bay.” said EPA Regional Administrator Adam
Ortiz. “With this funding, we are not only investing in the current
environment, but into the long term viability of Pennsylvania farmers – our
frontline environmentalists.”
Thanks to prior funding provided by EPA, NFWF, the Natural Resources
Conservation Service (NRCS), and the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation
and Natural Resources (DCNR), the Alliance has created a model that local
companies are now adopting in an effort to increase sustainability in their
dairy supply chain and help bring cleaner water back to their communities.
“American farmers continually rise to the challenge of feeding a growing
global population in an increasingly sustainable and efficient manner,” said
Tim Leviny, Land O’Lakes Senior Vice President of Global Dairy Ingredients &
International. “Collaborative initiatives like Sustainable Dairy PA provide
the necessary incentives to drive voluntary practice changes that not only
help contribute to the health of the planet, but also help better position
farmers for success in a challenging operating environment.”
?As a cooperative, and largely enabled by their ag sustainability businesses
Truterra, Land O’Lakes has taken a leadership position in on-farm
sustainability by helping customers achieve their environmental goals, while
keeping farmer profitability at the forefront. The collaboration at the heart
of this work brings significant funding, technical support, and incentives to
help farmers prioritize conservation while navigating difficult dairy market
conditions.
“Hershey’s, EPA’s, and Land O’Lakes’ leadership to support our
Pennsylvania dairy farmers and local ecosystems is revolutionary.” said
Jenna Mitchell Beckett, Agriculture Program Director at the Alliance for the
Chesapeake Bay. “This effort is helping to create a paradigm shift in which
an entire supply chain works together to support work on the ground rather
than farmers being expected to carry the load alone. We believe this model is
the future of how we will overcome the environmental hurdles we face.”
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