THE BUSINESS OF DAIRY
USDA, Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy Continue to Work Towards Industry’s 2050 Environmental Stewardship Goals
T
he USDA and the Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to continue working toward the dairy industry’s 2050 environmental stewardship goals while addressing growing consumer demand for food that is produced in a way that’s good for the planet. The MOU, which extends and builds upon a pact originally signed in 2009, will leverage USDA programs to encourage the adoption of economically viable technologies and practices that improve sustainability and assist in addressing environmental needs of U.S. dairy farmers. Efforts will accelerate and streamline programs focused on resource recovery, sustainability improvement, soil health management and greenhouse gas reduction. “In renewing this agreement with the Innovation Center for U.S Dairy, USDA is recommitting to our vital work with dairy farmers to reduce methane emissions and improve the sustainability of their operations,” said Jewel Bronaugh, who serves as deputy secretary of agriculture. “We’ve seen tremendous interest in the production of climate-smart commodities and the dairy industry is on the leading edge of that effort. Today’s MOU will help build on and advance the industry’s important leadership in this arena.” 28 • Northeast Dairy Foods Association, Inc.
The Innovation Center was founded by dairy farmers through their dairy checkoff in 2008 as a forum that convenes stakeholders across the value chain to align on shared social responsibility priorities including the environment, nutrition and health, animal care, food safety and community contributions. The Innovation Center announced make these two words 2050 environmental stewardship goals, which include: • Achieving GHG neutrality. • Optimizing water use while maximizing recycling. • Improving water quality by optimizing utilization of manure and nutrients. The Innovation Center will work with USDA to enhance communications and outreach to farmers regarding participation in its programs. The organizations will offer support for practices, projects and programs that seek to further reduce GHG emissions. “This collective work will move us closer to realizing our goals and our vision of dairy as an environmental solution,” said Barbara O’Brien, who serves as president and CEO of the Innovation Center and Dairy Management Inc., which manages the national dairy checkoff. “Most important, we’ll be able to provide farmers with more support and tools so they can continue building on their generations-long commitment to being good stewards of their natural resources.”
