Colorado University Athletics
Grass to Glass: How Dairy Farm Families Celebrate Earth Day Every Day
May 26, 2017 | General, Buffalo Sports Properties
BOULDER - It used to be that consumers came to a registered dietitian to discuss "healthy eating." Today, consumers are asking, "What is a healthy and sustainable diet – one that's good for me and good for the environment?" Consumers are increasingly interested in where their food comes from, how it's being produced, and what its impact is on the environment.
What does it mean to eat sustainably? Sustainable diets, as defined by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, are "those diets with low environmental impacts which contribute to food and nutrition security and to healthy life for present and future generations. They are protective and respectful of biodiversity and ecosystems, culturally acceptable, accessible, economically fair and affordable; nutritionally adequate, safe and healthy; all while optimizing natural and human resources."Â
Food and Nutrition Security
It is projected that food production will need to increase by 70 percent to feed the world by 2050 – when the world population is expected to be over nine billion. Striving to protect the natural resources needed for current and future food production is not a new endeavor, although the present-day pressures on all of Earth's resources have generated renewed interest in this ever-important effort.
The perception is that animal foods are an inefficient use of resources. The reality is, the core aspects of sustainability have always been an integral part of dairy farmers' personal values and daily on-farm practices. Over the past 70 years, there has been a steady increase in the efficiency of milk production – producing more milk with fewer cows. American farmers have succeeded in improving efficiency while caring for the environment and providing a nutritious product that provides nine essential nutrients for less than 25 cents per eight ounces.
Today's Sustainable Farming Practices
Scientific and technological advances, in addition to on-farm sensibilities have allowed for better animal care, more precise farming practices to decrease inputs such as land, water, fuel and feed, and improved efficiencies to produce more with less. A gallon of milk today is produced with 65% less water, 90% less land and 63% less carbon than a gallon of milk in 1944.
Additionally, dairy cows are efficient at feed-to-food conversion. Most of a dairy cow's feed is roughage that humans cannot digest. In fact, 80 percent of the cow's diet in the U.S. is not consumable by humans. Cows can recycle food that humans can't eat – the by-products from the human food and fiber industries such as cottonseed and wet brewer's grain are converted to milk rather than sent to landfills. Furthermore, cows also produce manure which, when recycled as a fertilizer for crops, helps maintain soil fertility and enables the cow to return most of the nutrients from her feed back to the land.
Carbon "Hoofprint"
In July 2010, the Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy completed the first national carbon footprint study of fluid milk – measuring greenhouse gas emissions for fluid milk from crop production through disposal of the gallon jug by the consumer. The study, along with data from other sources, confirmed the U.S. Dairy Industry contributes less than 2% of total U.S. Greenhouse Gas Emissions. According to the study, the use of best management practices, rather than size or location of the farm or processing facility, makes the biggest difference in reducing emissions.
Dairy's Contribution to America's Health
As the population grows and resources become more scarce, it's not just food that's needed, it's nutrient-rich food. The dairy food group is an important source of nutrients in the diets of Americans – at only 10 percent of the calories consumed. In fact, milk alone is the number one food source of three of the four nutrients of public health concern in Americans' diets – calcium, potassium and vitamin D.Â
Thank a Dairy Famer
The journey to sustainability is many small steps that add up. The next time you enjoy a glass of ice-cold milk or creamy yogurt, remember how hard your local dairy farm families are working to take care of their animals and preserve Earth's natural resources all while providing a nutritious food to feed the world. To read more about dairy's commitment to sustainability and the work currently be done by dairy farm families across the country, visit www.usdairy.com/sustainability/industry-commitment. Â
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What does it mean to eat sustainably? Sustainable diets, as defined by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, are "those diets with low environmental impacts which contribute to food and nutrition security and to healthy life for present and future generations. They are protective and respectful of biodiversity and ecosystems, culturally acceptable, accessible, economically fair and affordable; nutritionally adequate, safe and healthy; all while optimizing natural and human resources."Â
Food and Nutrition Security
It is projected that food production will need to increase by 70 percent to feed the world by 2050 – when the world population is expected to be over nine billion. Striving to protect the natural resources needed for current and future food production is not a new endeavor, although the present-day pressures on all of Earth's resources have generated renewed interest in this ever-important effort.
The perception is that animal foods are an inefficient use of resources. The reality is, the core aspects of sustainability have always been an integral part of dairy farmers' personal values and daily on-farm practices. Over the past 70 years, there has been a steady increase in the efficiency of milk production – producing more milk with fewer cows. American farmers have succeeded in improving efficiency while caring for the environment and providing a nutritious product that provides nine essential nutrients for less than 25 cents per eight ounces.
Today's Sustainable Farming Practices
Scientific and technological advances, in addition to on-farm sensibilities have allowed for better animal care, more precise farming practices to decrease inputs such as land, water, fuel and feed, and improved efficiencies to produce more with less. A gallon of milk today is produced with 65% less water, 90% less land and 63% less carbon than a gallon of milk in 1944.
Additionally, dairy cows are efficient at feed-to-food conversion. Most of a dairy cow's feed is roughage that humans cannot digest. In fact, 80 percent of the cow's diet in the U.S. is not consumable by humans. Cows can recycle food that humans can't eat – the by-products from the human food and fiber industries such as cottonseed and wet brewer's grain are converted to milk rather than sent to landfills. Furthermore, cows also produce manure which, when recycled as a fertilizer for crops, helps maintain soil fertility and enables the cow to return most of the nutrients from her feed back to the land.
Carbon "Hoofprint"
In July 2010, the Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy completed the first national carbon footprint study of fluid milk – measuring greenhouse gas emissions for fluid milk from crop production through disposal of the gallon jug by the consumer. The study, along with data from other sources, confirmed the U.S. Dairy Industry contributes less than 2% of total U.S. Greenhouse Gas Emissions. According to the study, the use of best management practices, rather than size or location of the farm or processing facility, makes the biggest difference in reducing emissions.
Dairy's Contribution to America's Health
As the population grows and resources become more scarce, it's not just food that's needed, it's nutrient-rich food. The dairy food group is an important source of nutrients in the diets of Americans – at only 10 percent of the calories consumed. In fact, milk alone is the number one food source of three of the four nutrients of public health concern in Americans' diets – calcium, potassium and vitamin D.Â
Thank a Dairy Famer
The journey to sustainability is many small steps that add up. The next time you enjoy a glass of ice-cold milk or creamy yogurt, remember how hard your local dairy farm families are working to take care of their animals and preserve Earth's natural resources all while providing a nutritious food to feed the world. To read more about dairy's commitment to sustainability and the work currently be done by dairy farm families across the country, visit www.usdairy.com/sustainability/industry-commitment. Â
Â
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