Butcher Family Dairy Farm; Waste Management at Work
Back in 1980, living in Coweta County was considered living out in the country
when Bud Butcher bought his dairy located near Newnan, a community less than 30
minutes from the Atlanta International Airport. Back then he was in the country
and did not have to worry about urban communities.
Today this is not the case as he has subdivisions cropping up all around him
and he is currently milking 320 head of cows twice a day with five full-time
employees. With these subdivisions cropping up Butcher has faced being a part of
an urbanizing community in the last few years and because of this the quantity
of the water runoff from his dairy is a concern.
The dairy utilizes center pivots for irrigation and waste management. Butcher
read about the USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) in a
newsletter and called for help on his waste management system. Using the
Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP), to solve the problem with the
water quantity, a cover crop was planted, a 25-acre Bermuda filter strip around
the cropland field, as a means to trap agriculture contaminates and produce high
quality hay.
A new waste management system was linked to a lagoon. Installation of
concreted heavy use areas and the development of a certified nutrient management
plan to use manure on the land and dispose of the excess manure completed the
plan “NRCS has provided technical and financial assistance. The above practices
where selected to provide a solution for managing the waste and wash water
accumulated from a confined dairy operation,” said Kevin Keel, district
conservationist for the NRCS.
“The objective of this operation is to breed a high milk producing herd while
maintaining environmental quality. Despite the urban sprawl, I’m going to
maintain a dairy at this location for as long as I can,” said Butcher. “Bud
Butcher is one of the best dairymen to come to Coweta County and now is the only
one left in the county,” said Lisle Bower, district supervisor for Coweta
County.
Butcher’s operation has benefited from the application of the conservation
treatments in four different areas, efficient use of water, waste management,
water quality and high quality hay production. “Center pivot has allowed for
efficient use of water and provided a way to manage waste. Bermuda filter strip
has provided a buffer for water quality and lead to the production of high
quality hay,” said Butcher.
Butcher has this to say to future generations about his conservation
philosophy, “Take care of the land and the land will take care of you.”
The success of this farm is due to Butcher’s devotion to the land, hard work
and his ability to run this operation with wise business decisions.
Congratulations to Bud Butcher for being the District I 2008 Environmental
Stewardship Award Winner.
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