Minnesota Dairy Farmers Drive Sustainability Efforts

Minnesota dairy farmers are playing a key role in sustainability initiatives by working with consumer packaged goods companies to track carbon intensity and conservation efforts. Lucas Sjostrom, managing director of the Minnesota Milk Producers Association, highlighted the evolution of these efforts, which began in Wisconsin a decade ago. “They made some farmer-led groups and tried to put the power in the hands of the farmer in controlling the narrative,” Sjostrom explained.  The initiative has grown significantly with funding from a $50 million climate-smart grant, expanding participating farms from 53 to 150 in two years. Sjostrom emphasized the long-term potential of sustainability tracking in the dairy industry. “We want to make something that the dairy market can utilize from the farmer through the supply chain to the end user at the store or restaurant.”