A southeastern Ontario dairy producers’ cheesemaking co-op has picked up provincial funding for new wastewater tanks.
The province, through its Rural Economic Development program, will kick in $187,000 toward a 45,000-litre wastewater holding tank and aerator for the Empire Cheese and Butter Co-op at Campbellford in Northumberland County, about 55 km east of Peterborough.
Empire Cheese said it will use the tank to contain its wastewater over the winter and spread the “nutrient-rich” waste on area farmland from spring through fall.
“Having the provincial support to improve our wastewater management process has been essential,” co-op general manager Jack Oliver said in the province’s release.
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“With this investment, we can focus our energies on making quality local cheeses, knowing we’ve effectively and efficiently reduced our environmental impact.”
The farmer-directed co-operative, which dates back to the late 1870s, now employs over 20 people making cheddars, mozzarellas and various specialty cheeses.
The HACCP-registered company describes its cheesemaking process as “the traditional way,” using open-style vats.
The company’s products have won various awards, most recently a first place finish in November 2009 at the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair for extra-mild cheddar (one to two months of age) and a grand champion award for Canadian variety cheese at the same show a year earlier.
