This article was written by Nate Birt, Vice President of Trust In Food, a Farm Journal initiative. Learn more at www.trustinfood.com
U.S. dairy’s biggest 2021 sustainability accomplishment has been maintaining momentum and forward progress on a number of major initiatives, including the Net Zero Initiative, says Karen Scanlon, executive vice president of environmental stewardship, Dairy Management Inc. and the Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy.
“We have been talking to a lot of farmers across the country about what this initiative is. It’s about how we are tackling those barriers and creating a pathway for every farmer to find what works best for them on this journey toward the 2050 goals of achieving greenhouse gas neutrality, optimizing water use and improving water quality,” Scanlon says.
“We’ve not only talked to a lot of farmers, but we’ve also stood up some research projects, some on-farm pilots and some supply chain projects where we have farmers directly engaged. We’re able to learn from them and share their experience and what they’re learning with all farmers across the country.”
Among many other projects, the Innovation Center is working with the Idaho Dairymen’s Association, Dairy West and Trust In Food, the sustainable ag division of Farm Journal, under the umbrella of America’s Conservation Ag Movement to help Idaho dairy farmers develop a learning community to support producers interested in exploring innovation and opportunities in sustainable agriculture.
“The goal is to really gather the input from farmers, hear their questions, provide information to their questions about practices and technologies that they may be interested in exploring,” Scanlon explains.
To learn more about the 2021 accomplishments of dairy farmers and to preview what’s ahead in 2022, watch the video Trust In Food’s Nate Birt conducted with Scanlon.
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