MINNEAPOLIS – The 2024 Fall Meeting of the Dairy Sustainability Alliance® emphasized the industry’s collective efforts to meet sustainability targets through the adoption of new technologies, best practices and measurement tools. The meeting brought together more than 350 representatives from the dairy value chain, including nearly 40 dairy farmers, to collaborate on advancing sustainability across the industry.
The Alliance is a multi-stakeholder member initiative led by the checkoff-founded Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy®. With more than 200 companies and organizations, including farmers, the Alliance provides a platform for sharing ideas, tackling common challenges and accelerating progress on sustainability goals.
Sarah Hanson, executive lead for the Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy, underscored the importance of collaboration to advance solutions for a more sustainable world and a thriving U.S. dairy community.
“That mission is founded on the premise that we are stronger together,” Hanson said. “And it comes to life through the leadership of our board, our committees and importantly through this Dairy Sustainability Alliance, where we come to learn, share and work together to advance U.S. dairy sustainability and the positive impact we know our products and industry have in people’s lives.”
Meeting presentations showcased innovative tools and resources that are shaping the future of sustainability in dairy, including:
· Shopper Attitudes around Sustainability and Health and Wellness: New consumer insights to help inform how companies can communicate with audiences whose preferences and perceptions continue to shift.
· FARM Environmental Stewardship Program: The updated program, powered by a new scientific model, allows farmers to run robust scenarios to assess sustainability and economic goals, measure progress with sound data outputs, and work together with cooperatives and processors to engage supply chain customers.
· Dairy Conservation Navigator: An online platform for farm advisors that consolidates practical information about science-based practices and technologies that can help reduce a farm’s environmental footprint.
· Financial Models for Climate Mitigation: A report developed with the Environmental Defense Fund, detailing eight financial models for working with agricultural lenders to support climate mitigation strategies.
· U.S. Dairy Materiality Assessment: An effort that is underway with robust stakeholder input to provide insights into the social responsibility topics that are crucial for the industry, helping identify areas for action and collective engagement.
These efforts complement other significant ongoing sustainability commitments across the U.S. dairy industry. Many organizations are developing partnerships and making investments in new, efficient infrastructure, measurement capabilities, on-farm solutions and innovations and marketplace opportunities that advance U.S. dairy sustainability in an economically viable and beneficial way.
“U.S. dairy truly is walking the walk with significant progress to celebrate and, importantly, continue learning as we know there is more work to do,” Hanson said. “With your ongoing engagement through the Alliance, we will continue to build our collective knowledge, navigate challenges and activate solutions that help us build a thriving industry and a more sustainable world with our delicious, nutritious dairy products.”
Session Highlights
The meeting featured 20 interactive sessions with diverse experts across the industry, including farmers, and academia addressing topics of interest to dairy’s sustainability journey. Highlights include:
Sustainability in Action – Advancing Well-Being and Effectively Showcasing Dairy’s Role as a Modern Health & Wellness Solution – Paul Ziemnisky, head of wellness science, innovation, and business development at Dairy Management Inc., presented insights into the growing opportunity for dairy in modern health and wellness.
Ziemnisky shared how in 2023, the Innovation Center’s Health & Well-being Committee identified a $150 billion opportunity in nutrition and modern wellness areas of growth and performance, healthy heart and weight, systems supercharge and mental and cognitive health, where dairy can emerge as a solution.
“We know one of the most important ways dairy positively contributes to people and to sustainability is in the unique and powerful nutrition and health benefits that our products provide,” Ziemnisky said. “But for consumers to actually benefit from these products, they have to choose them, so it’s our responsibility to ensure we’re communicating with consumers in a way that meets their modern health and wellness needs and makes sure that the products in the marketplace clearly speak to those needs.”
Breeding for a Greener Future: Genetic Innovation to Mitigate Enteric Methane Emissions – scientific and industry experts focused on how genetic improvements can reduce methane emissions in dairy cattle. Wisconsin farmer Mitch Breunig was among the participants discussing the importance of genetics in mitigating methane emissions through programs such as the Greener Cattle Initiative.
“Methane reduction is real,” Breunig said. “It’s going to be solved through a variety of places, but genetics has an opportunity to be a good place to solve it. If we can breed for a cow that just through her genetics is able to produce less methane, it’s going to make the other things easier because the cow is the basis of all this.”
The Now, Next, and Future of U.S. Dairy Sustainability – Barbara O’Brien, president and CEO of Dairy Management Inc. and the Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy, led a discussion exploring the future challenges and opportunities the industry faces, emphasizing the need to stay ahead of an ever-changing global environment. California dairy farmer Steve Maddox, who has been engaged with the Alliance since its creation in 2008, shared his perspective on how the organization fosters collaboration across the industry.
“The Alliance brings us together so we can learn from and share with each other,” Maddox said. “The industry has benefited from so many technologies and practices over the years that have been good for the environment and good for farmers’ bottom line.
“But the best part of our story is that it’s more than just being sustainable. It’s highlighting the story of so many dairy families being active in their communities and that is the heartbeat of the industry. Farmers truly care about our neighbors and the towns we call home.”
O’Brien Delivers Remarks at Sustainable Agriculture Summit
The Sustainable Agriculture Summit, held after the Alliance meeting, marked its 10th anniversary and gathered farmers, suppliers, processors, conservation organizations and the public sector to discuss the future of sustainable agriculture in the U.S.
The Summit offered actionable insights from world-class experts, on-the-ground perspectives from farmers, including dairy, interactive breakout sessions and networking opportunities.
O’Brien delivered opening-day comments, emphasizing the importance of collaboration across the agricultural supply chain.
“The energy surrounding this event embodies a shared commitment to shaping the future of agriculture in a way that acknowledges the vital role of farmers and ranchers, honors the land, nourishes communities and drives innovation,” O’Brien said. “Today, we stand at a remarkable crossroads, celebrating a decade of collaboration, innovation and resilience in agriculture, while looking ahead to the immense potential that lies before us.
“Ten years ago, we dared to imagine a more collaborative, sustainable future for agriculture. Today, we are not only witnessing that vision take shape but are called to lead it forward. This Summit is so much more than just a meeting of minds; it is a testament to what we can achieve together when we align our efforts toward a common purpose.”
To learn more about the Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy, visit www.usdairy.com/about-us/innovation-center.
About the Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy
Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy® was established in 2008 by farmers through the dairy checkoff to foster collaboration that progresses the industry’s goal of building a healthy and sustainable future for the dairy community, the people it serves, and the planet we all share. The Innovation Center convenes diverse stakeholders and leaders to advance the U.S. dairy community’s positive impact on shared social responsibility and sustainability priorities that include nutrition and health, food security, the environment, animal care, workforce and food safety. Through these efforts, the U.S. dairy community contributes to a more sustainable world for future generations. For more information, visit usdairy.com/about-us/innovation-center.
