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Out here in Eastern Oregon, we care about the land we farm. Sustainability has been front and center at Threemile for over 25 years, from soil health and water management to transforming manure into fuel and fertilizer as part of our closed-loop system. While using technology to improve our efficiency and sustainable practices is a major part of our mission, it’s the personal commitment and the passion for farming that allow us to execute and surpass our goals each growing season. Our team lives and breathes this commitment, and as Earth Day approaches on April 22^nd, we reflect on what it means and how it translates into action.   

For Threemile’s Farm General Manager Greg Harris, soil health is a cornerstone of sustainability and caring for the land. His expert team uses an array of practices, including strip tilling with GPS equipment to minimize soil disruption, using technology to reduce field passes for tractors, and rotating crops so that the soil can replenish nutrients used differently by each crop.  

“Without caring for the soil now, we’re not going to be able to farm in twenty years. We have to get more and more efficient and produce the most we can with the least amount of inputs. That’s my responsibility. Without healthy soils, you can’t feed people,” says Harris.

Responsibly managing our water supply is also a core part of our commitment to sustainability at Threemile. This often means using an innovative network to control our vast irrigation system.  

“Sustainable farming is making sure we are always on the top of technology. We have an advanced irrigation system here. We can manage every pump, we can see how many gallons per minute our pumps are moving, and what the amp draw is so we can maximize every kilowatt of power that’s used with the click of a mouse. Just imagine how many vehicles would be running around trying to turn those off and on,” says Harris. 

These are just some of the ways we look out for our environment on the farm side. Threemile’s General Manager of Livestock Operations Jeff Wendler views sustainability at our dairy through a wide lens that ultimately results in producing the best quality milk for our partners.

“We have a holistic approach to sustainability.  This includes taking care of our resources, land, people, animals, and community.  We want to be the best farmers, dairymen, employers, and neighbors.  We also must be profitable to sustain. We accomplish this by being efficient, taking care of our resources, and being best-in-class producers,” says Wendler.   

Where Threemile’s dairy and farm operations truly merge and support one another as part of our closed-loop system is in our methane digester, which is the cornerstone of our greenhouse gas emission reduction program. The digester converts waste to renewable natural gas and sequesters the equivalent annual greenhouse gas emissions from 35,558 passenger vehicles (152,441 metric tons per year of CO2). For comparison, it would take nearly 153,000 acres of forest land to have the same carbon sequestering impact.

Our methane digester is a vital part of our closed-loop system that not only reduces emissions but also provides important soil improvement materials and comfortable, dry bedding for our cows. All of this is part of doing right by our environment while continuing to produce food for a growing population.

“Doing more with less. Protecting the animals, water and land, employees and community that we have been blessed with,” says Wendler.

Even beyond Earth Day, we remain committed to sustainable farming for today and the future. 

Learn more about Threemile’s sustainable agriculture practices and how our passionate team takes responsible farming to the next level: https://www.threemilecanyonfarms.com/sustainability