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Features Regional Regulations
Western States hosts air quality symposium


May 3, 2011  by Western United Dairymen

April 28, 2011 – Recently,
dairy farmer members of the Western States Dairy Producers Trade Association
convened with academics, researchers, and agency representatives to discuss
recent science and regulatory issues regarding dairy air quality.
April 28, 2011 – Recently,
dairy farmer members of the Western States Dairy Producers Trade Association
convened with academics, researchers, and agency representatives to discuss
recent science and regulatory issues regarding dairy air quality.

The first day of the
conference was keynoted by Seyed Sadredin, air pollution control officer of the
San Joaquin Valley Unified Air Pollution Control District, who commented that
after a rocky start, the California dairy industry was to be complimented on
how they have worked hard to help improve valley air quality.

Day one was filled with
reports from the research community on the status of a wide variety of
activities on such topics as enteric fermentation, open lot dairies, the
National Air Emissions Monitoring Study, lagoons, VOC reactivity, and the effects
of particulate matter on human health. The first day concluded with a panel
discussion on the “missing pieces,” knowledge needed to adequately understand
and control dairy air quality issues.

Day two began with
comments from Sally Shaver, former agricultural counselor to the U.S. EPA administrator. Shaver provided a “reality check” regarding air quality
regulation and the issues that agriculture and dairy will be faced with in the
future. Following her remarks, presentations on tools available to producers to
assist with improving air quality on their farms were provided. Participants
also shared ideas about how dairy emissions should be expressed and reported.

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A final panel discussion
by dairy representatives, including Western United Dairymen’s (WUD) Paul Martin, reviewed the things the
dairy community has done well regarding air issues, as well as the things done
not so well and the lessons learned.

In concluding the event, panel
moderator, Kerry Drake, counselor for agricultural policy for the U.S. EPA
regional administrator, commented, “The people in this room, more than those at
any other conference, have done more for improving air quality in the last five
years than any other group.”

The conference closed with final remarks from
Shaver, who asked, “Now that you have all this information that can influence
public policy, how are you going to get that information to the places where it
is needed? How are you going to carry your message to U.S. EPA headquarters?”

The staff, board and members of WUD will be working to do
exactly that.

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