Key Practices

Terry and Troy Lenssen of Lenssen Dairy in Lynden, Washington, safeguard water quality in a variety of ways, including:

The Application Risk Management tool from Whatcom Conservation District, which puts their information through an algorithm to determine the risk of a manure application during the wet winter or early spring.

Risk analysis, conducted with their local conservation district.

“Relay cropping,” 30 to 50 pounds of Italian ryegrass or cereal rye blown on when they cultivate corn. By the time the silage is cut, a lush grass stand is in place to sequester excess nutrients and protect the field from runoff.