Wayne Nastri, U.S. EPA regional administrator, left, Charles "Chuck" Ahlem of the California Department of Food and Agriculture, center, and Hank Van Exel unveil a California Dairy Quality Assurance Program sign at Van Exel's Dairy on Wednesday. (Casey Freeman/News-Sentinel)

Officials certify local dairy farm as eco-friendly

A local dairy farm is among 200 to be certified as environmentally friendly under a program that teaches farmers to meet state and federal standards for preventing ground, water and air pollution.

And they've got a sign to prove it.

Representatives from the University of California, the State Water Board, the Environmental Protection Agency and other government organizations gathered at the Van Exel Dairy on North Thornton Road on Wednesday to unveil a sign proclaiming the farm "Environmentally Certified." The Van Exels received the certification after completing the California Dairy Quality Assurance Program, a partnership between educators, regulators and farmers that gives dairy producers a blueprint for meeting environmental safety codes and standards on their farms.

The program -- which was formed in 1997 -- offers classes for farmers to learn about water regulations, management of manure and fertilizers, and emergency response plans. Once the three-day course is complete, farmers evaluate the conditions of their own farm, making changes to fit state and federal requirements.

The dairy producer can then bring a third party inspector to look at the farm and decide what changes need to be made.

There is a lot of fear of state and federal inspectors among dairy producers, said Hank Van Exel, who owns the farm with his wife Carolyn. He was wary himself before participating in the program, even though he had always tried to keep up with environmental standards on his farm.

"It's like when you're driving down the street and you see a highway patrolman," Van Exel said. "You're not sure if you did something wrong or not, but you still get nervous. When you have (inspectors) come by, that's what happened."

With the Quality Assurance Program, dairy farmers who want to get their farms up to par environmentally know how to prepare for such inspections. Though farmers were often aware of what the environmental standards were, the process of how to meet such standards was never clear before the program.

"We were never quite sure when we filled out a permit if we were doing it correctly," Van Exel said. "Now we have a road map."

The program also helps state inspectors who are otherwise swamped by the sheer volume of dairies in the state, said John Menke, an environmental scientist with the State Water Resources Control Board. California has more than 3,000 dairies and another 800 farms containing animals, and only 20 inspectors to check those areas.

Though only 200 farms have been certified so far, another 1,200 dairy producers have expressed interest in the program.

This story was updated at 5:55 p.m. March 23, 2004, to correct the number of dairies and the number of inspectors in California.