ROSEMONT, Ill. - The Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy announced new science-based resources available for dairy producers, processors, industry partners and stakeholders. The resources help the industry act on the scientific research commissioned as part of the U.S. Dairy Sustainability Commitment — a collective effort of the dairy value chain to measure and improve the sustainability of U.S. dairy from farm to table, the Innovation Center said.
As part of this commitment, the dairy industry initiated a series of scientific life cycle assessments (LCA) of fluid milk, cheese and whey. With this body of work, the U.S. dairy industry is striving to create the most transparent and documented dairy LCA database available. Due in part to its rigorous science-based approach, it was chosen to be the pilot industry participating in the National Agricultural Library of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to provide an open-access, prototype LCA database and tools.
“We are very glad to have the dairy industry’s leadership,” said Dr. Simon Liu, director of the National Agricultural Library at the USDA. “The goal is to continue to expand the data in the National Agricultural Library so that we can advance the science and meet the growing demand for quantitative data that helps to identify opportunities for innovation and improvement.”
The dairy industry is already using the findings to improve sustainability and provide consumers with credible information about where their food comes from and how it is made. “These science-based resources are powerful examples of our industry’s vision to sustainably deliver nutrient-rich dairy foods and beverages to the table, starting with the dairy farmer and continuing through the dairy supply chain,” said Barbara O’Brien, president of the Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy.
The new resources include:
- U.S. Dairy’s Environmental Footprint, a quick reference guide that taps into the public’s interest in learning about the foods they eat and the environmental impact of their choices.
- A scientific publication, a special issue of the International Dairy Journal, which features 10 peer-reviewed articles highlighting findings from the fluid milk LCAs (April 2013 issue).
- Farm Smart, an online tool currently in development, which combines key learning from the research with engineering and best management practices to help dairy producers calculate their environmental footprints.
“Dairy producers have a long-standing commitment to both nutrition and environmental science through National Dairy Council and the Dairy Research Institute, an affiliate of the Innovation Center,” O’Brien said. “Their initial investment in environmental science has been more than doubled through direct and indirect grants from USDA and other funding sources, reflecting growing recognition of the importance of the solid, science-based approach the industry is taking.”
In 2008, the dairy industry committed to a Sustainability Roadmap with the goal to reduce greenhouse gas emissions of fluid milk by 25 percent and build business value by at least $238 million by 2020. The Innovation Center launched a portfolio of innovation projects to achieve this goal, including Farm Smart.