There are different tools available to help assess on-farm environmental impact. U.S. dairy has developed The Farmers Assuring Responsible Management (FARM) Environmental Stewardship (ES) program to evaluate and communicate a dairy farm’s environmental achievements in a secure, confidential platform. The online tool combined with the program’s resources assist with setting a path for continuous improvement in ways that make business sense. Today, FARM ES focuses on greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, energy use and Nutrient Management Plans.¹

Practice Adoption:
On-farm changes require technical support, financial support, information support and social considerations. Every farm faces unique opportunities and challenges, so local experts can help assess risks and potential.

• The Considerations and Resources document is a good starting point.
• Farmers for Sustainable Food provides a framework to set up your own project.
• Resources, experts and technical services to help farms reduce their environmental footprint in the most economically viable ways are available from Newtrient.
• The Newtrient Solutions Catalog provides all dairy farmers with evaluations of technology solutions that generate energy, manage manure, capture nutrients and deliver ecosystem services to meet their farm’s unique needs and business goals.

The U.S. Dairy Net Zero Initiative is an industrywide on-farm effort focusing on foundational research, on-farm pilots and development of new product markets. It provides partnership opportunities to sponsor and participate in leading-edge research. To learn more, contact Jennifer Block at Stewardship.Commitment​@dairy.org.

Processors and dairy cooperatives can access extensive resources and dairy animal welfare management guidelines in The Farmers Assuring Responsible Management (FARM) Animal Care Program. This program helps to demonstrate dairy farmers’ commitment to providing excellent care of their dairy cattle and producing safe, wholesome milk.

¹The Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy and National Milk Producers Federation are collaborating to update the greenhouse gas (GHG) model that powers FARM ES. Through this upgrade, FARM ES will be positioned to better support the dairy community’s efforts to measure and achieve its 2050 environmental stewardship goals, including to become GHG neutral or better.