Waste not, want not
Local facility one of the many ways dairy transport company cuts water waste
PORTALES, N.M.—Along New Mexico 467, just north of Highway 70, sits Western Dairy Transport’s Portales terminal, one of many serving the company’s customers across 48 statesand Mexico. Just driving by, it’d be hard to know it’s also one of eastern New Mexico’s best examples of environmental sustainability. But thanks to the latest remodel and tech upgrades, completed in December, it is.
The state-of-the-art wash-out facility is where a milk truck gets cleaned, sanitized and sealed before heading to the next dairy to pick up more milk — all while reducing normal water usage substantially. Western Dairy Transport partnered with United Dairymen of Arizona on the project, a group that’s no stranger to water shortages.
By utilizing conserved water from sanitized tank trailers as well as an innovative new heated water loop design, water consumption for the tank washout facility decreased by 50%, a 2.8-million-gallon annual water savings.
Previously, the company’s cleaning-in-place, or CIP, system used about 500 gallons of water to do a complete wash. With the new system, they are not only able to recapture one cycle of the wash to reuse but are only using about 80 gallons per cycle.
John Traweek, operation supervisor for Western Dairy Transport, said the reduced water bill is nice, but isn’t why his company did it.
“As a company, we want to not only do what we can for the community, but for the Earth, too. Caring for the environment is one of our top priorities,” he said.
Traweek has only been in Eastern New Mexico a few years, but in that time, he’s seen dairy farms have to leave the area or the life they love due to the water shortage. Western Dairy Transport is committed to making sure they preserve as many natural resources as possible.
“We want to make sure the water tables can recharge and the operations are viable to keep moving in the future, not only for the cattle and the farmers, but for the families nationwide who enjoy the dairy foods they produce,” Traweek said.
And while so much is happening in Portales, it’s just a small part of Western Dairy Transport’s corporate culture — one based on putting the communities they serve above profit. The company’s chief executive officer, David Shelton says Western Dairy Transport believes everyone benefits from strong and vibrant communities.
“We may be a milk and dairy-related logistics company, but our core purpose is to enrich and grow people, their families and their communities,” Shelton said.
He says the water conservation project in Portales is an example of supporting what their dairy farming customers are doing and what their dairy-consuming customers want.
“Our farmers are diligently working to maintain a very sustainable, green effort with their dairy practices, herd management, etc. And then our consumers are continuing to ask for more sustainable practices — in production of milk all the way down to the transportation of milk. And so, while it issomewhat customer-driven, it really is just the right thing to do,” Shelton said. “We were given a green world and we want to leave it greener than we found it.”
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About Western Dairy Transport
Western Dairy Transport LLC serves the bulk food-grade transportation industry consisting of dairy farmers, dairy processors and food processors. In addition, the firm also serves the dry van soft drink and food processing industry. Western Dairy Transport heritage was founded in 1967 by J.W. Honeycutt JR, in Cabool, Missouri. Through customer–driven organic growth, the firm that began with 10 milk trucks hauling dairies in the Ozarks of Southern Missouri, is now the nation’s largest milk and dairy hauler, serving customers in all 48 States and Mexico. For more information, visit wdtmilk.com.
About Dairy MAX
Founded more than 40 years ago, Dairy MAX is one of the leading regional dairy councils in America – representing more than 900 dairy farmers and serving communities in eight states: Colorado, southwest Kansas, Louisiana, Montana, New Mexico, western Oklahoma, Texas and Wyoming. A nonprofit organization, Dairy MAX is part of a nationwide effort to promote American agriculture, support dairy farming and drive impact for every dairy farmer. The organization operates five audience outreach programs: business development, consumer marketing, health and wellness, industry image and relations and school marketing. For more information about Dairy MAX and its team of experts, visit DairyMAX.org. Dairy resources and delicious recipes are available at DairyDiscoveryZone.com.
