Maryland & Virginia Milk Producers Cooperative

Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services Commissioner Joe Guthrie and US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Region 3 Administrator Adam Ortiz joined us at Cool Lawn Farm in Virginia last week to learn about sustainability initiatives in place. The farm family has implemented a riparian buffer and deployed cover cropping and manure injection practices to improve the farm's carbon footprint. Ben and Ken Smith have planted a 3.2-acre riparian buffer on the property, enrolled thousands of acres in cover cropping and manure injection practices to sequester carbon in the soil and improve the farm’s carbon footprint. Cool Lawn Farm has taken full advantage of MDVA's industry-leading sustainability program and worked alongside the Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay to implement smart and impactful practices that lead to a lowered environmental impact. Thank you to Commissioner Guthrie and Administrator Ortiz for spending time with us to learn how our member-owners are making an important impact on local communities and improving the environment for years to come.

Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay, in partnership with Maola Local Dairies (Maola), has been awarded a $2 million grant through the National Fish & Wildlife Foundation’s (NFWF) Chesapeake Innovative Nutrient and Sediment Reductions (INSR) Grant Program. The project will install high-impact agricultural and manure management practices across 500 acres. The grant, which will support family-owned dairy farms in Maryland, New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and West Virginia, brings an exciting new corporate supporter to dairy sustainability, Starbucks. READ MORE: https://lnkd.in/eHSkPb_b #SustainableDairy #Sustainability #agriculture #MDVAMilk #MaolaMilk

Yesterday, Hannah Walmer, MDVA Sustainability Programs Manager, participated in a roundtable with USDA Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack, Pennsylvania Secretary of Agriculture Russell Redding, U.S. Representative Chrissy Houlahan, and others in Reading, Pa. Walmer spoke about projects that MDVA has been spearheading in the region that utilize the Conservation Innovation Grant (CIG) program, which supports the development of new tools, approaches, and technologies to further natural resource conservation on private lands. READ MORE: https://loom.ly/QM20FTI Photo Courtesy: Berks Weekly

MDVA is a key dairy supplier for Starbucks and has made great strides in the Starbucks Sustainable Dairy Program this past year. "Starbucks Sustainable Dairy Program has made a real difference on our member farms - Starbucks is not only bringing resources to our members but providing leadership and direction to help shape a new dairy supply chain where there is a shared responsibility from farm to customer for the environmental impact of dairy. With strategic investments in best management practices, dairy has the opportunity to be an environmental solution and gain the confidence of our dairy consumers in our sustainability journey." - Lindsay Reames, Executive Vice President, Sustainability & External Relations, Maryland & Virginia Milk Producers Cooperative. READ MORE: https://loom.ly/aE9mu1Q

Proudly Celebrating Maryland Green Registry Membership! 🌿 Maryland & Virginia Milk Producers Cooperative's dairy manufacturing facilities in Laurel and Landover, Maryland, joined the Maryland Green Registry this year! This recognition highlights our ongoing commitment to sustainable practices and environmental stewardship. In celebration of the Maryland Green Registry's 15th anniversary last week, Governor Wes Moore proclaimed June 20 as Maryland Green Registry Day. We are honored to be part of this dedicated community working towards a greener future. The Maryland Green Registry promotes and recognizes sustainable practices across various organizations, regardless of type or size. Members commit to implementing at least five environmental practices with measurable results and continually striving for improved environmental performance. Our participation in this program underscores our dedication to sustainable practices and our commitment to making a positive environmental impact. We look forward to continuing our efforts and sharing our progress with the community. Join us in celebrating this milestone and our ongoing journey towards sustainability! 🌍💚 https://loom.ly/2Xbdd5U #MDVAMilk #MDVAFamilyFarms #Sustainability #Maryland #Green #GreenRegistry

Congratulations are in order for our Communications and External Relations team! Earlier this month, the group of dedicated communicators were honored by their professional organization, the Cooperative Communicators Association, with a pair of awards. The team earned First Place for its News Release titled "Maryland & Virginia Milk Producers, Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay, and The Piedmont Environmental Council Partner to Support Volunteer Tree Planting Project on Virginia Dairy Farm." The team also earned Second Place for its 2023 Annual Report titled "Facing Headwinds, Leaning In." The awards are selected from communications across the country in the cooperative space, so we're honored to have been recognized on this national scale! You can read the award-winning news release here: https://lnkd.in/ewN3CKvy

Last week, Virginia First Lady Suzanne Youngkin visited with members of the Virginia Dairy Princess Program and toasted with Maola milk to the Commonwealth's dairy industry, which provide around 163 million gallons of milk products each year. We appreciate the support of these leaders like the First Lady as well as Agriculture & Forestry Secretary Matt Lohr and VDACS Commissioner Joe Guthrie in championing this Virginia Grown product.

Last week, MDVA 2024 Oustanding YC Molly McWilliams and 2023 Outstanding YC Thomas French visited with members of Congress and their teams during the annual Young Cooperators Dairy Policy & Legislative Forum. Advocating for their fellow dairymen and dairywomen is an important part of MDVA's YC program and we are grateful for the time that Molly and Thomas took to speak on behalf of all MDVA members in Washington. The duo joined MDVA CEO Jay Bryant, MDVA President Kevin Satterwhite, and MDVA CFO Jon Cowell in participating in the week of activities that National Milk Producers Federation coordinates at our nation's capitol each June.

Earlier this month, Maola was proud to donate 200 half-pint milks to the Bike2DC – Ride to Honor event. That event saw more than 50 cyclists ride from Charlotte to Washington, D.C. in honor of fallen police officers. The ride started at Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department (CMPD) headquarters on May 9 and finished on May 13 at the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Candlelight Vigil on the National Mall.   Around 50 cyclists started in Charlotte and stopped only to eat and sleep and spent overnights in Asheboro, NC; South Boston, Va.; and Richmond, Va. before finishing the ride’s fourth day at the Candlelight Vigil.   The ride has been annual since 2007, but it had exceptional circumstances this year. Just days before the ride, CMPD officer Joshua Eyer was shot and killed alongside three other North Carolina law enforcement officers on April 29. “This year, our cyclists will be pedaling [Eyer’s] public order, his mountain bike, along with his helmet and his vest that carries his number, and those riders will take turns riding his bicycle in memory of him,” Deputy Chief Jacquelyn Hulsey with CMPD told WSOC-TV Eyewitness News.   Maola has a distribution branch in Charlotte. We were proud to support these officers and cyclists as they honored fallen law enforcement officers. 📷 Riders stop in Chase City, Va. to enjoy Maola Chocolate Milk

On this #MemorialDay, we recognize the people who gave their lives to protect our country and its freedoms. Thank you to those individuals who sacrificed all and to the families who are remembering those servicemen and servicewomen today.