June is Dairy Month! What a perfect time to introduce Midwest Dairy as June’s Partner Spotlight. Midwest Dairy is the newest member of the Illinois Sustainable Ag Partnership and represents over 400 dairy farms across the state of Illinois, 94% of which are family owned and operated.
As a new member of ISAP, Midwest Dairy plans to connect Illinois dairy farmers with ISAP resources and programming, advancing the Partnership’s mission to create a network which supports a systems approach for sustainable agriculture in Illinois.
Because of increasingly modern and innovative dairy farming practices, the environmental impact of producing a gallon of milk shrunk significantly between 2007 and 2017, requiring 30% less water, 21% less land and a 19% smaller carbon footprint. Dairy farmers are continually working together to be good stewards of the land and further reduce the impact of the dairy industry on the environment.
US Dairy has established several industry-wide sustainability goals including optimizing water use, improving water quality through nutrient management, and achieving greenhouse gas neutrality by 2050. Midwest Dairy is working to achieve these goals by connecting with dairy farmers at the local level, providing educational resources on sustainable farming practices, and sharing success stories of conservation champions.
Midwest Dairy aims to maximize their impact by working with partners to share information and real-time experiences that showcase how dairy products resonate with today’s consumer: “responsibly produced, nutrient-rich, locally driven and offers real enjoyment.”
Across a 10-state region, Midwest Dairy represents 4,600 dairy farm families to 39 million consumers, working on their members’ behalf to build dairy demand by inspiring consumer confidence in dairy products and production practices. Midwest Dairy focuses its efforts on sharing insights and developing programs and resources for retail, health and wellness, school food service, and industry partners.
Midwest Dairy is excited to be the first livestock producer of ISAP and looks forward to advancing sustainable practice adoption in Illinois.
