Dairy Processing - January/February 2022 - 20

Center for US Dairy Stewardship Commitment,
and National Milk Producers Federation
FARM program.
" Consumers
are expecting
that they're
purchasing
food that was
produced
responsibly,
and dairy's
going to have
to continue to
play a big role. "
Patrick Criteser, president
and CEO, Tillamook
County Creamery
Association (TCCA)
TCCA leverages its stewardship efforts and
technology to help reach its goals. In fact, they
are part and parcel of TCCA's values-based,
community-driven belief that everyone deserves
real food that makes them feel good every day,
made in the most natural, sustainable way possible.
" TCCA has been around for 100-plus years,
and we want to be around for a hundred
more, " Snyder said. " In order to do this, we
need to make sure our farms are thriving, our
communities are strong, our environment
is resilient, and our people and animals are
well taken care of. When we do well, our
communities do well. "
As part of the Tillamook Cares volunteer
program, TCCA employees receive eight
paid volunteer hours per year. In 2020, TCCA
employees volunteered 8,516 hours in service to
the community, according to the company's 2020
Stewardship Report. Employee donations to
nonprofits are also matched by the company, up
to $500 per employee annually.
In 2020, TCCA launched a $4 million COVID
Relief plan.
" We launched the plan to support our
hometown communities and our employees
during the pandemic, " Snyder said. " When
COVID-19 upended the communities where
we work and the lives of TCCA employees, we
stepped up with the support they needed. "
Moreover, TCCA donates 4% of the cooperative's
net profit to the community every year.
" In 2020, we went far above that 4%
commitment because we layered on top of
it an increased COVID response with our All
For Farmers campaign, and increased food
donations, " Snyder said.
TCCA leverages technology by way of its
environmental and cow care programs.
" We use 100% renewable energy at our
Creamery visitor's center in Tillamook County, "
Snyder said. " We also utilize biodigesters, an
innovative technology to convert waste into
energy, fertilizer and bedding. Many of our
farmer-owners and milk suppliers are already
using digesters to convert manure into clean
energy, and we are looking into ways to increase
adoption of this practice. "
The Stewardship Report also states that
TCCA evaluates every load of milk that enters
its Tillamook and Boardman plants by taking
milk samples and analyzing them at its lab,
providing data back to farmer-owners -
including somatic cell count, bacteria counts
and cultures, milk components, and MUN for
protein utilization monitoring - so they have
timely information to address herd health,
nutrition and milk quality.
TCCA also works with farmer-owners to
analyze data around electricity use, which has
led to electricity savings projects on farms like
upgrading equipment and installing LED lights.
Many farmers also practice cover cropping and
soil sampling to monitor soil health. Some farms
even use digitized manure records to monitor
20 JAN-FEB 2022 | DAIRYPROCESSING.COM
Dairy Processing - January/February 2022

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