An ag-gag law prevents people from coming onto your farm under false pretenses, basically from the public doing undercover investigations on your farm. Some states have it, some don't.
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Often I read/hear people say, if you have nothing to hide what's the problem? Yea, it doesn't quite work that way. 

​For example, if you knew nothing about farming and saw this first picture, what would you think? How about if there was a caption reading "Overcrowding on Factory Farms Lead to Sick Cows"? You would see that and assume the headline is correct, after all, those cows are just packed in there!
However, not all of the story is being told. The 2nd pic was taken at the same time. Yep, an area of the barn is completely empty. While the cows are waiting to be milked (1st pic) this area is being cleaned.
This is probably the first time I've shared an image of our cows waiting to be milked, just for this reason. Its something I always try to keep in mind when posting pics of the farm. How will someone who is not familiar with farming view this pic? Could this pic be used by the anti-ag crowd for spreading propaganda?
Now think what would happen if someone from the anti-ag crowd were to be hired, under false pretenses, on your farm? Someone who would be deliberately looking for these type of pictures. It could lead to disaster for the farmer.
This is just one reason why farmers support ag-gag laws.
So if you see pics implying how awful something is, whether it be farming or another industry, look for the rest of the story to find the truth. :)

What an absolute privilege and honor to receive the Vim Wright "Building Bridges" award from the Washington Association of Conservation Districts! A huge thank-you to our local Whatcom Conservation District not only for nominating Rich but for all that they do for Whatcom County! There are so many people that work together to keep Whatcom County a place that we can all enjoy and WCD is at the top. A bridge connects two sides. Building bridges, connecting sides, always involves more than one person. This is an award for Whatcom County! 

Whatcom Conservation District is Proud to Nominate Local Farmer for Conservation Award.

​Whatcom Conservation District nominated Rich Appel of Appel Farms for his environmental leadership in the Whatcom County agricultural community. On November 27, 2018 he was awarded the Vim Wright ‘Building Bridges’ award at the 2018 annual meeting of the Washington Association of Conservation Districts (WACD) in Kennewick, WA.  

The prestigious award is given to individuals who work within the arena of conservation to foster understanding and partnerships, through community collaborative efforts. The award is given in honor of Vim Wright, a long-time member of the Washington Conservation Commission, who worked tirelessly to bring traditional agriculture and environmental representatives together to work on conservation projects. Just like Vim Wright, Rich Appel is an environmental leader and has continued to facilitate important community partnerships between Whatcom CD and various stakeholder groups for the betterment of Whatcom County. 

​In addition to jointly owning and operating Appel Farms with his brothers, and their families, Rich serves as vice president of Whatcom Family Farmers, which helps recognize the good work farmers are doing to restore habitat and improve water quality in Whatcom County. Rich is active as a face of stewardship and makes himself available as a speaker to many organizations both locally and regionally.  

 He serves as an industry leader, representing his farming peers and educating the public on dairy stewardship practices through farm tours and public appearances.  
Rich is passionate about the health of his community and has worked hard to foster positive, productive relationships between dairy farmers, environmental groups and Lummi Nation. Appel Farms is in close proximity to the Nooksack River, just a few miles from Tribal shellfish harvest beds.  However, the Appels are mindful of their responsibility and work hard to keep bacteria from polluting the water.  The Appels work closely with Whatcom CD and the local Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) field office to not only keep their dairy nutrient management plan current, but fully implemented.  

Additionally, last year Appel Farms partnered with Whatcom CD, Whatcom County Flood Control Zone District, NRCS and Diking District #3 to install new culverts and self-regulating fish-friendly floodgates on their property on Clarkson Creek, a tributary to the Nooksack River.  The installation of these improvements protects Appel Farms from flooding and loss of agricultural productivity, while opening up 2.2 miles of fish habitat upstream! This is another great example of a project that mutually beneficial for both farmers and fish. 

Congratulations to Rich Appel and his family for this prestigious award.  To learn more about Vim Wright, visit http://www.historylink.org/File/9788.

Article by the Whatcom Conservation District 
Find original article HERE

Pierre Gerber, who's name is on the U.N. report, admitted, "we factored in everything for meat emissions, and we didn't do the same thing with transport" What this means is that when they looked at meat emissions, they did a full life-cycle analysis which would include fertilizer production, land clearance, methane emissions and vehicle use on the farm. Keep in mind, this is also world wide, not just in the U.S. For transportation, they only accounted for the burning of fossil fuels, no auto manufacturing, no road construction. Not exactly a fair comparison. 

Other items to note:
The 9% attributed to agriculture in the EPA report is all of agriculture, including crop and livestock production for food. 
Livestock give us a lot more than just meat. There are numerous other by-products, including organic fertilizer (manure) for all the yummy fruits and veggies we like to eat. 

There you have it, a very simplified version. For more information check out these articles.
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/next/earth/going-vegan-isnt-actually-th/?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=pbsofficial&utm_campaign=nova_next
https://beefrunner.com/2017/01/03/livestocks-long-shadow-and-green-house-gases/
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/earth/environment/climatechange/7509978/UN-admits-flaw-in-report-on-meat-and-climate-change.html
http://archives.cjr.org/the_observatory/meat_vs_miles.php
https://www.agdaily.com/insights/farm-babe-no-livestock-arent-destroying-planet/
https://www.epa.gov/ghgemissions/sources-greenhouse-gas-emissions ​

​Hello my name is Merlin Ryks. I am an independent Dairy consultant who has the privilege of working with Appel Dairy with their Dairy’s nutrition. You may have heard that “happy cows are productive cows” and I believe that describes the Appel Dairy. They make a huge effort to keep their cattle as comfortable and as well fed as possible.
Most of the dairy's forage are grown on their own farm. These forages are harvested at the most optimum time to produce the most digestible feed possible. The grass silage for example that grows in this pacific northwest climate is some of the most digestible grass grown in the United States. Highly digestible feed, if fed correctly, promotes more productivity by the cow and less waste.

​The milk cows are fed a “TMR” which means Total Mixed Ration. A TMR helps keep the cows diet in balance. It keep the cows from making unhealthy choices (eat too much carbohydrates, not enough fiber, maintaining their mineral intake, etc.). So the forages (grass silage, corn silage, and alfalfa hay), protein sources (canola, Soy Plus, etc.), carbohydrate sources (flaked corn and barley), fat sources (cottonseed, etc.), are mixed with minerals and vitamins in one big mix like a tossed salad. It is made this way to keep all the ingredients consistent and as balanced as possible and keep them from making unhealthy choices (just like us if we eat too many carbs, it is not good for us, it is not good for the cow either).
When I work with the Appel Dairy we test their feeds in a lab for nutrient content (CHO, protein, fiber, minerals, etc.) to help maintain the proper balance of nutrients going into the cow, so the cow herself stays healthy and the milk she produces is also full of nutrients. These lab nutrients analysis are quantified and placed into a computer balancing programs to get the right amount of feed and nutrients into the TMR which is available to the cow as a balanced meal when she wants to eat (day or night).
I hope this gives you a glimpse into the effort that the Appel family and it's crew does to keep its cattle healthy and to supply you with healthy dairy products in return. I believe they are great stewards and I am honored to work for them.

Manure is a valuable resource. Our lagoons are valuable tools used to store our manure until we can use it properly, safely and productively. The vast majority of lagoons are built to NRCS (Natural Resources Conservation Services) standards.
Lagoon Considerations:
 - Fertilization Requirements
 - Number of Cows
 - Manure Distribution Method
 - Existing Facilities

Keep reading for Storage period, site, & geological considerations plus lagoon specifics, permeability standard, clay liner requirements and more. 

Storage Period Considerations
 - Weather
 - Crops
 - Growing Season
 - Labor Requirements
 - Management Flexibility
 - Available Equipment
 - Soil Conditions

Site Considerations
 - Proximity to farmstead
 - Prevailing wind direction
 - Management requirements
 - Economics
 - Resource concerns
 - Geological Investigation which includes
      - seasonal high water table
      - soil bearing capacity
      - seismic & liquefaction 
     - archaeological investigation

This is all before we even get a permit to start building!

Lagoon Specifics
 - Side slope ratio of 5:1 for safety, stability and erosion prevention
 - Clay liner - prevents leakage to ground water
     - Permeability standard of less than .000001 centimeters of water per second. 
    - The manure will also form a seal at the bottom, adding an additional reduction in permeability.
    - Minimum of 1 ft. thick 
    - Permeability is tested at lab.
    - compaction is tested on site

Periodic inspections are done through out the whole process.

Grass is planted around the edge of the lagoon and on the outside slopes to prevent erosion.  A fence and safety signs are added.

When a lagoon is properly built and maintained, it is a benefit to the environment.