Everyday Dairy Farm Sustainability

The feed barn is one of my favorite places to be when

 the cows come to eat after being milked.

They really seemed to be enjoying every bite  this morning

 and weren't a bit interested in what I was doing!

At the request of our dairy nutritionist,I was actually on a mission 

to collect a sample of the feed they were enjoying. 

Sampling  the feed mix is done when we have added a

 new or different ingredient to make sure the total mixed ration is balanced.

Making sure the cows have a nutritious and balanced diet 

keeps them healthy and leads to high-quality milk.

Feed efficiency is extremely important to the sustainability of our farm.

Sustainability is not just a word, it's how our dairy farm family 

has lived for generations, working to improve and

 make life better for the next generation.  

Since 1944 when my mother-in-law was milking cows on our farm, 

dairy farmers across America are producing more milk

 using 90% less cropland, 

producing 76% less manure,

 using 65% less water, 

and producing 63% less carbon emissions.

All that has happened through innovation and efficiency improvements that

 have been provided through research,sound science and technology.

                                                     

Dairy Q&A

                                                                      Question:

               Do dairy farms produce a lot of greenhouse gases?

                                               Answer:

According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's US Inventory of Greenhouse Gas Emission Report, dairy production contributes less than 1 percent of US greenhouse gas emissions. Greenhouse gases include water vapor,carbon dioxide and ozone.

Today, producing a pound of milk takes three times less methane than it did in 1924 because of the many efficiencies  practiced by dairy farmers everyday such as  feeding grains and high-quality forage and by continuing to use other tools such as genetic improvement and superior herd management.

More information can be found at US Environmental Protection Agency or Midwestdairy.