Onondaga County Soil & Water Conservation District (OCSWCD) has named Hourigan Family Dairy as their 2024 Conservation Farm of the Year. This award was presented to Hourigan Family Dairy at 3419 Amber Road on Feb. 5 The farm was recognized for their outstanding use of best management practice s on the farm to protect water quality and the environment. Hourigan Family Dairy has been a participant in the NYS Agricultural Environmental Management (AEM) program since 2000. Highlights of Best Management Practice implementation over the years have included: farmstead manure nutrient storage, transfer, and management. Satellite nutrient storages to facilitate ideal timing and application of manure, thousands of acres of cover crops (annually), manure nutrient injection, thousands of acres of strip cropping, and a new milking parlor with wash water recycling system. This award recognizes the farm’s decades of environmental stewardship activities. “The Hourigan’s have been on the cutting edge, implementing technology to improve their nutrient management program and expand the farm’s conservation efforts,” Aaron Buchta, district technician, said. Other nominees for 2024 included Rocking Horse Farm in Jamesville and Elly’s Acres in Jamesville. ...read more read less