Cowra dairy farmer, Colin Thompson, is taking sustainable dairying to new heights thanks to a recent funding boost from Lion and Landcare Australia.
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The project is one of 13 initiatives across Australia recently awarded a Lion Landcare Grant as part of a nationwide program spearheaded by Lion to help its dairy farmers become more sustainable in the production and supply of milk.
The grant of $11,000 awarded to Mr Thompson will help reduce energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions at the dairy by installing a solar hot water system to complement its current electrical system.
The Silvermere Holsteins owner, is delighted with the improvements this funding will enable.
"We currently use approximately 800 litres of hot water to wash the dairy plant every day. When installed, this solar system will reduce our energy consumption for hot water by more than 60 per cent. The funding will allow us to do something that we always knew would be a good investment," he said.
Other projects funded through the Lion Landcare Grants include dairy initiatives that aim to reduce water and energy consumption by installing a heat recovery and solar hot water system and improving on-farm nutrient management via an organic waste system so that effluent and manure can be collected and recycled more efficiently.
Murray Jeffrey, Lion's Head of Agricultural Procurement said that Lion is pleased to be investing in its dairy farmers to help improve the sustainability of their operations.
"When it comes to environmental sustainability, Lion takes a partnership approach with our suppliers. Our grants program with Landcare Australia enables us to provide funding that will help give farmers like Colin the tools and resources to address some of the ongoing environmental challenges in dairy industry," he said.
"Through this grants program we hope to help ensure that our suppliers are well equipped to improve the environmental sustainability of their operations when it comes to reducing energy consumption, improving nutrient management or increasing on-farm biodiversity," he added.