Sustainable Farming

What is Environmental Stewardship?

Environmental stewardship has a lot of definitions, all of which are essential for the farm business to truly thrive. One that is particuarly near and dear to all dairy farmers is having a commitment to our farm land and the environment. After all, without acting as environmental stewards, how would a dairy farm family preserve their land for future generations?

Our dairy farm families are committed to sustaining and preserving the environment by finding new and better ways to care for and manage land and water resources. Wisconsin’s natural resources are a large part of what makes our state and milk great. Our farmers continue to innovate in their sustainable farming practices to keep it that way.

How are dairy farmers helping the environment?

Today's Farms

Dairy farmers have improved their practices to do more with fewer resources. Compared to 40 years ago, today we produce milk with only 21% of the number of cows, 35% of the water, and 10% of the land, while generating only 24% of the manure and 37% of the carbon emissions. The dairy industry is committed to reducing its carbon footprint even further by the year 2020.

Wisconsin Cow Power

A leader in the production of bio-energy, Wisconsin has more on-farm bio-energy systems than any other state. What's a bio-energy system? It's designed to convert manure into renewable energy, powering more than 7,500 homes 24 hours a day, 7 days a week!

Farmer-led Conservation Efforts

Wisconsin is home to several farmer-led conservation programs, such as UW-Discovery Farms, that look to solve environmental challenges and improve farming practices. Researching Wisconsin's diverse agricultural landscape, UW-Discovery Farms uses working farms that are facing various environmental challenges. The program takes a real-world approach to finding innovative ways to safeguard our land and water resources.

Check Out Their On-Farm Projects

Dairy and Sustainability;

6 Things That May Surprise You

Read the Full DairyGood Article