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2016 SESSION

16106078D
HOUSE RESOLUTION NO. 210
Offered March 7, 2016
Commending Vanderhyde Dairy, Inc.
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Patrons-- Adams and Marshall, D.W.
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WHEREAS, Vanderhyde Dairy, Inc., in Chatham has been presented with the 2016 Agribusiness Environment Award by the Virginia Agribusiness Council; and

WHEREAS, Vanderhyde Dairy is a third-generation dairy farm in Pittsylvania County that milks more than 1,000 cows; the farming operation also includes 600 acres for the dairy and its surrounding cropland, which is used for the production of silage and commodity corn, bringing the total size of the farm to more than 1,900 acres; and

WHEREAS, the Van Der Hyde family has been an active participant in many local and statewide agricultural organizations, including the Pittsylvania County Farm Bureau, the Virginia State Dairymen’s Association, and the Virginia Agribusiness Council; the farm has hosted a variety of industry events, including the Virginia Dairy Expo; and

WHEREAS, Vanderhyde Dairy has consistently been an environmental leader in the dairy industry; and

WHEREAS, in 2010, Vanderhyde Dairy installed an anaerobic methane digester on the operation to process the manure generated by the farm each day; the digester produces electricity for the farm’s own use and to be sold back onto the electric grid, and residuals from the digester are spread onto the farm’s crops as a source of nutrients; and

WHEREAS, cooperating with the Pittsylvania Soil and Water Conservation District, Vanderhyde Dairy utilizes a variety of Agricultural Best Management Practices to protect water quality and the environment; and

WHEREAS, the Virginia Agribusiness Council is a nonprofit organization committed to representing the interests of the agriculture and forestry industries in the Commonwealth through effective governmental relations efforts and initiatives; its membership includes farmers, foresters, and other agricultural producers; industry suppliers; marketers and processors; and commodity and industry associations; and

WHEREAS, the Council presents an Agribusiness Environment Award annually to an agribusiness to recognize outstanding achievements, research, or practices that benefit both agribusiness and the environment; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, That Vanderhyde Dairy, Inc., hereby be commended on receiving the 2016 Virginia Agribusiness Council Agribusiness Environment Award; and, be it

RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to the Van Der Hyde family, proprietors of Vanderhyde Dairy, Inc., as an expression of the House of Delegates’ congratulations and admiration for their commitment to dairy industry leadership and environmental stewardship.