PROMOTING A GREENER FUTURE THROUGHOUT THE DAIRY SUPPLY CHAIN

At the end of the dairy supply chain is the ever-changing consumer, who increasingly seeks answers about where their food comes from — and if it is made sustainably. Consumers’ curiosity creates an opportunity for DFA and our farmerowners to educate consumers about how dairy farming practices help protect, and often, improve the environment.

Sustainable dairy farming practices aren’t new to our farmer-owners and have always been fundamental to the dairy way of life. The dairy farmer is the beginning of the dairy supply chain.

“Many DFA farmer-owners took over the farm from their parents, who took over from theirs’ — generation after generation. That is the definition of sustainability,” says Jackie Klippenstein, senior vice president and chief government and industry relations officer.

In the middle of the dairy supply chain are DFA’s customers. Many of them have identified environmental goals and are partnering with suppliers, including DFA, to improve the dairy value chain’s carbon footprint.

SUSTAINABLE DAIRY FARMING PRACTICES AREN’T NEW TO OUR FARMER-OWNERS AND HAVE ALWAYS BEEN FUNDAMENTAL TO THE DAIRY WAY OF LIFE.

“The sustainability team is currently working with several of our customers to deploy different practices on DFA farms that will enhance the resilience and environmental efforts of our farmer-owners,” Jackie says. “They are collaborating on projects to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, generate renewable energy and rebuild soil health through regenerative agriculture practices.”

As a partner to U.S. farmers and the entire dairy supply chain, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is also committed to sustainable food supply chains. To better connect consumers with the farming industry,

USDA announced the Partnerships for Climate-Smart Commodities grant in February 2022. The goal of the grant program is to expand markets for America’s climate-smart commodities, leverage the greenhouse gas benefits of climate-smart commodity production and provide direct, meaningful benefits to both large and small producers. DFA was awarded up to $45 million under this grant and is currently assessing the opportunity for DFA and its farmer-owners.

“There’s a newfound interest in Washington, D.C., for sustainability. Identifying how farmers can support their dairy operation’s resilience through their environmental commitment on the farm may lead to significant opportunities for DFA family farms,” Jackie says.

In addition to educating consumers and partnering with customers, teams within DFA are using sustainability to drive connectivity and help our workforce and business units understand their role in facilitating the Cooperative’s efforts to be good stewards in the community.

As our operations leaders continue to build efficiencies and maximize optimizations, they are driving improvements to the Cooperative’s carbon footprint.

“Efforts are underway to decrease wait time at loading docks, to increase federal highway weights so heavier trucks can be used in our fleet and to use renewable energy in some of our plants,” Jackie says. “All of these efforts not only drive financial health but also contribute to a positive environmental impact.”

To learn more about the sustainable efforts of our farmer-owners and partners, watch our Nerd Herd videos at dfamilk.com/Nerd-Herd.