https://www.nzherald.co.nz/the-country/news/operation-clearwater-...

https://www.nzherald.co.nz/the-country/news/operation-clearwater-west-otago-dairy-farmers-water-quality-project/PRFTOXLZPFCRFOVUZXGQAKJATI/


Dairy farmer Werner Marx launched a water quality project in West Otago during the busiest time of year.
He talks to the Otago Daily Times’ Shawn McAvinue about co-investing in the project to protect his waterways, business and industry.

On the farm, 265 crossbred cows were milked.
About 75 per cent of the herd were only producing milk with a2 beta-casein.
He hoped the rest of the herd would do the same in the next two years.
He had heard of the a2 Milk Company giving grants to co-fund environmental projects of farmers who supply milk under contract to Mataura Valley Milk.
He never dreamed his project would qualify for one of the 15 grants of up to $35,000 the a2 Milk Company was making available in the inaugural year of its New Zealand Farm Sustainability Fund.
The grants were given to recipients demonstrating an integrated approach to a sustainable future, enabling positive and meaningful impact across the community and the environment.
At a function, he got chatting with a2 Milk Company executive leadership about his project and was encouraged to apply.
The a2 Milk Company gave him more than $29,000 from its fund.“I was grateful for that because it went a long way - a long, long way.
”Funding application needed to be in smartly after he was encouraged so he pulled an all-nighter completing the paperwork.
To apply for funding, the project needed a name.
At 4 am, he coined the project Operation Clearwater.
With or without funding, he was always going to stump up to complete the project but the best part of this story was a farmer, dairy processor and the Government, via a water care group, uniting to co-fund a project to accelerate it and make it bigger and better.
“This is a successful project, no matter how you look at it.”