Arden Hills, MN—Land O’Lakes on Thursday announced new onfarm sustainability commitments to be adopted by its more than 1,600 member dairy farms by 2025.
Within the next four years, all Land O’Lakes’ dairy farmerowners will complete an intensive on-farm sustainability assessment aligned with the US Dairy Stewardship Commitment while maintaining universal compliance with the National Milk Producers Federation’s National Dairy Farmers Assuring Responsible Management (FARM) program.
In early 2021, Land O’Lakes launched a large-scale measurement project that will yield more than 250 data points per farm across more than 1,600 farms located all over the US. The assessment measures actionable information on fuel, electricity and water usage, nutrient application, crop rotation and manure management.
To support this effort, Land O’Lakes has created a new Dairy 2025 Commitment team dedicated to the collection of on-farm data, and helping develop measurable ways for its members to improve on-farm efficiency and further cut their environmental footprint.
Many Land O’Lakes dairy farmer-owners are already participating in significant sustainability initiatives, but this assessment is intended to provide a cooperativewide understanding of members’ collective impact and set baselines for future goals.
Examples of projects farmers are carrying out with Land O’Lakes’ current customers, which are driving immediate results, include:
• Land O’Lakes and Bel Brands have initiated a project to increase the use of cover crops and other sustainable agricultural practices among the Land O’Lakes member-owners who ship milk to Bel Brands’ facilities.
• Land O’Lakes is working with The Hershey Company and the Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay to implement best management practices to reduce GHG emissions and help improve water quality in the Chesapeake Bay and other watersheds in the region.
