LANSING – Five Oceana County farms recently joined the ranks of more than 500 others statewide in being recognized for their environmental stewardship efforts.

The farms were cited for their work in such areas as pesticide management, groundwater pollution, manure storage and nutrient management are some of the areas being worked on by these farms.

They are are Lound & Lound in Shelby, Four Star Farms in hart, Reames Farm in Shelby, NJ Fox & Sons Inc. in Shelby and DeRuiter Farms Inc. in Hart.

The farms were verified by the Michigan Agriculture Environmental Assurance Program (MAEAP). This is a collaborative program among Michigan Department of Agriculture, Michigan Farm Bureau, Michigan State University and several other groups. The organizations’ aim is to ensure farms are reducing pollution and following state and federal environmental guidelines.

“Farmers need to work aggressively to show they’re preventing pollution, both for peace of mind and the public good,” said Jan Wilford, MAEAP program manager.

MAEAP verification is broken down into three areas – livestock, cropping and farmstead. Each farm is encouraged to become verified in as many areas as apply.

DeRuiter Farms in Hart was recently verified in the cropping area and expects to gain farmstead verification this spring.

For Rich DeRuiter, the process is based more on tweaking current practices rather than fully revamping the farm.

“A third party has come in and said ‘Yeah, we think you are doing this right,’” DeRuiter said. “They’re making us prove it.”

To complete the process, farmers must attend a seminar once every three years, implement an environmental plan and pass an on-site inspection.

“Now that it’s been around for a while, it’s taking off,” said Carrie Vollmer-Sanders, agriculture ecology specialist for the Farm Bureau. “A lot more people are attending the education sessions so they can learn the newest information.”

Farmers benefit from the process by having comprehensive records of their harmful output and an environmental action plan for emergencies.

Neighbor relations also improve when people know farms are minimizing environmental harm, Vollmer-Sanders said.

“The public will see the MAEAP sign and see this farmer is exceeding state and federal guidelines for environmental practices,” she said.

But DeRuiter said many farms that aren’t fully verified still practice good techniques.

“We have to make money off this land,” he said. “We don’t want to destroy it.”

Wilford said the process of compliance may be costly for some farms. Although the average cost is around $60,000, some farms spend close to $1 million.

The amount depends on the farm’s size, practices and what the management is like.

DeRuiter said the cost is worth it to ensure his farm’s healthy practices.

“Does it cost money to be environmentally sound? Yes,” he said. “Did we do it specifically for MAEAP? No.”