Gerald Fieser, Fieser Dairy, Inc., Volusia County
Environmental Stewardship Coexists With Farming
A portion of Gerald Fieser’s dairy farm in west Volusia County borders Lake Woodruff National Wildlife Refuge.
The 21,500-acre refuge serves as a habitat for 215 species of birds, plus other endangered and threatened animals. As a neighbor of this diverse and sensitive land, Gerald does his part to assure it remains in its natural state.
“We don’t utilize 100 percent of our land,” he said. “We have about 20 percent of it that’s still in a very natural state that we leave for the wildlife corridor. We understand that with the way our farm is situated next to a wildlife refuge that we want to fit in the best we can in our neighborhood. We’re working with what Mother Nature gave us.”
It’s not uncommon for Gerald to see bald eagles soaring in the skies above his dairy farm. He’s had whooping cranes take up winter residence and wood storks also call the dairy home. The Audubon Society takes an annual bird count at the farm and Gerald receives high praise for providing a quality habitat for so many species.
Operating as Volusia County’s lone dairy farmer, Gerald enjoys speaking with people who are disconnected with the process of producing milk. It doesn’t take long for perceptions to change.
“Some of the local environmentalists who come out and see the farm with their own eyes leave with a very different perspective,” he said. “They often have a biased opinion until you get them out here and show them what you are doing. They have a whole new appreciation for what we do.”
Gerald said his dairy, like most others, is committed to using byproducts to feed the cows. He works with a potato chip manufacturer to have its byproducts delivered regularly to the farm.
“You’ve always heard your parents say you should eat the peel of the potato because that’s where a lot of the nutrition is,” he said. “The product that we get is from the peeling and trimming process of making chips and this is a nutritious feed for cattle, plus it keeps the byproduct from being part of the waste stream.”
Another environmental benefit is using cow manure to fertilize crops that are eventually fed back to his herd. Gerald has all but eliminated the farm’s need for commercial fertilizer.
“Dairy farms are very carbon friendly because we are recycling everything,” he said. “The whole biological process allows us to produce milk and create nutrients that allow us to grow more grass and forages.
“Being a dairy farmer allows you to have an appreciation of the environment. It makes you understand how agriculture people are the true environmentalists.”
