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Anthony and Jeanette Bowman, of Red Vale Dairy, receive the
2007 Blue Ridge Soil and Water Conservation District Clean Farm Award

Red Vale Dairy
The Red Vale Dairy is family operated by Marvin Bowman and his son Anthony Bowman. The dairy farm is operated on a high level management at all times. They have implemented excellent conservation practices on all of this cropland. This farm was featured as one of the outstanding farm operations on the 2007 Blue Ridge Soil and Water Conservation Farm Tour.

All cropland used for corn for livestock feed is planted by the no-till method. Once the corn is harvested small grain is planted for winter cover crop by keeping a cover on this cropland, therefore soil loss is greatly reduced.

Crop rotations play an important part in reducing the erosion rate below the allowable tolerance. The rotations of corn, small grain, hay, waterways and field borders play a very important part in erosion control on this cropland.

A concrete animal waste system has been installed for the dairy operations. This system is designed to handle the waste from the free stall barn, calf barn and milking parlor. Mr. Bowman and his son, Anthony, designed a flushing system for the free stall barn area that works on a timer to flush and recycles the water used to flush the free stall alley ways. This system has six months of storage capacity.

The animal waste plan was developed so the waste can be applied before planting row crops in the spring and small grain in the fall. The amount of Ag-waste and fertilizer that is applied is based on the results of soil test and animal waste nutrient analysis. By using these tests, over application of nutrients is prevented.

By combining conservation practices and agriculture waste management, water pollution and erosion control rates are efficiently minimized resulting in improved water quality. Red Vale Dairy has to be seen to be appreciated.