By Mark O'Keefe
A concise handout created in seven languages tells the U.S. dairy industry's sustainability success story to the world.
New infographics illustrate U.S. Dairy’s long-standing commitment to healthy people, a healthy planet and healthy communities, with data on water use, greenhouse gas emission, waste reduction and animal care, among other advances.
The four-page handout was created by the U.S. Dairy Export Council to provide U.S. dairy exporters easy-to-understand content they can share with their global customers.
English cover of four-page handout on U.S. Dairy sustainability legacy
It can be downloaded as a printable PDF in these languages:
"We are telling the world a story it may not know, how nourishing the planet for future generations has been a long-standing priority for the U.S. dairy industry," said Krysta Harden, the U.S. Dairy Export Council's interim chief operating officer. "We are proud of what we have accomplished but hardly satisfied. Sustainability is a major emphasis for us."
This USDEC infographic for Vietnam shows how the U.S. dairy industry conserves water.
Sustainability facts in the handout include:
- The United States is a global leader in herd efficiency, producing four times more milk per cow than the average global cow.
- The average GHG emission footprint per gallon (3.79 liters) of U.S. milk is nearly 50 percent lower than the world average.
- 98% of U.S. milk comes from dairies voluntarily participating in Farmers Assuring Responsible Management (FARM), the first livestock animal care program in the world to be recognized by the International Organization for Standardization.
- In 2017, producing a gallon of milk in the U.S. involved 30% less water, 21% less land and a 19% smaller carbon footprint than it did in 2007.
- Of all GHG emissions in the United States, the dairy industry—from feed production to post-consumer waste—currently contributes only 2% and the U.S. dairy community is taking proactive steps to reduce that even further.
In addition to her role at USDEC, Harden serves as the executive vice president of global environmental strategy at Dairy Management Inc., USDEC's parent organization. Harden said the U.S. dairy industry is positioned to build on past accomplishments through the
Dairy Sustainability Alliance,® a multi-stakeholder group consisting of individuals from across the U.S. dairy community.