Rick Patrick: Greene Publishing, Inc.
At a recent public meeting with the local legislative delegation, concerns were raised about the operations at Full Circle Dairy in Lee. In the interest of fairness, Greg Watts, the owner of Full Circle Dairy, was given the opportunity to tell “his side of the story.”
Full Circle Dairy is a family-owned dairy farm on approximately 1,600 acres in Lee. On this farm, several hundred head of dairy cattle are fed, milked, and cared for on a round-the-clock basis. Naturally, with an operation such as this, a great deal of animal waste is produced every day. Managing this waste is a constant challenge. At Full Circle Dairy, much of this waste is used as
fertilizer for crops that are in turn used as a food source for the cattle. The way in which this is done must be monitored carefully in order to insure the environment is not adversely affected. According to Watts, everything at the dairy is carefully monitored. This includes monitoring and testing in-house on a daily basis as well as sending water, fertilizer, and milk samples to outside laboratories for testing. Quarterly reports are sent to the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP). The DEP also closely monitors the dairy's auditing procedures. In addition to these reports and auditing, the DEP makes frequent un-announced site visits to the dairy. According to Watts, Full Circle Dairy makes every effort to remain far below the regulatory thresholds established by the DEP. “[We] manage what we do because it's the right thing to do,” said Watts. “[We] go to great lengths to be good stewards of the land, the community, and the 60-plus people who work here.”
At Full Circle Dairy, much of the food that is fed to the cows is grown on the dairy farm. In order to make the best use of the land, feed crops are rotated throughout the year. In the spring, corn is planted and harvested in the summer. Sorghum is planted in the summer and harvested in the fall. Rye grass is then planted in the fall and harvested in the spring. Peanuts are occasionally grown in order to replenish the soil with needed nitrogen. The peanuts are not used as feed for the cows but are sold. These crops are fertilized with a carefully monitored balance of fertilizer from the cows and some supplemental commercial fertilizer. The crops that are grown are also carefully monitored.
When asked about antibiotics, Watts explained that on occasion cows do get sick and require medications that may include antibiotics. Whenever this occurs, the sick cows are isolated from the rest of the herd while they are being treated. After the medicine regimen is completed, the milk is tested. That cow is not allowed to be milked for public consumption until all traces of the antibiotic are cleared from the milk. “But the best way to handle that is to make sure the cows don't get sick. We go to a lot of effort to make sure our cows are healthy and happy,” said Watts.
Watts also goes to great measures to be a good neighbor. If local neighbors are having an outside event, Watts said they make every attempt to not apply water and fertilizer in a way that may disturb the neighbors with an unpleasant smell. For this reason, Watts has established a 550-foot buffer between any of the crops grown at the dairy and any neighboring residents. Watts is also in the process of planting trees to further act as a wind buffer between the dairy farm and neighboring residents. “We make every effort we can to be sensitive to our neighbors,” said Watts.