DAIRY NEWS – Rural, urban and suburban communities across Wisconsin are all focused on protecting water resources to benefit residents, businesses and agriculture. The 2024 Water Tours provide a unique, behind-the-scenes opportunity to see how water is being managed in one of the largest metropolitan areas and on a dairy farm, while learning from experts on the innovations, partnerships and commitment to protect and preserve one of the state’s most important resources.
The 2024 Water Tours will be held on Tuesday, September 10, with the tour bus departing from the River Hills Park & Ride at 9:15 a.m. and returning by 4:00 p.m. The tours are a collaborative effort between Professional Dairy Producers®, UW Discovery Farms®, Wisconsin Counties Association and Wisconsin Towns Association.
“Water is a vital concern, and it requires a dedicated effort to safeguard our natural resources for both current and future needs,” said Shelly Mayer, executive director of PDP and dairy farmer from Slinger, Wis. “Taking part in the Water Tours offers a valuable chance to witness firsthand the measures being taken to maintain water quality and to engage in meaningful discussions with representatives from government, agriculture, and local communities about the shared challenges and opportunities we face.”
Departing from WisDOT Park & Rid 40-85, Brown Deer Rd. E, River Hills, Wis., the bus will take participants to tour stops at:
- Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District (MMSD) to see how more than 640 million gallons of wastewater is treated each day. It is also one of the first facilities in the world to produce Milorganite® fertilizer, a byproduct of the water reclamation process.
- Roden Echo Valley, LLC, a family-run dairy farm located just outside West Bend, Wis., which features water conservation, management and recycling processes. The Roden Family manages their land with waterways, grass buffer strips and no-till cover crops. The milk production process uses water twice – through a plate cooler to quickly drop the milk’s temperature, and for livestock drinking water or cleaning facilities.
Bus travel time will feature facilitated discussions with water quality experts, researchers and more.
Tours are designed for community members, farmers, educators, local elected officials and media. Pre-registration is necessary, and space is limited. Ticket cost of $49 includes bus travel, refreshments and lunch. Up to 3.5 Continuing Education Units (CEUs) per tour are available from Dairy AdvanCE.
To learn more about the 2024 Water Tours and to register, visit www.pdpw.org or contact PDP at 800-947-7379.
Professional Dairy Producers (PDP) is the nation’s largest dairy producer-led organization of its kind, focusing on producer professionalism, stakeholder engagement and unified outreach to share ideas, solutions, resources and experiences that help dairy producers succeed.”
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