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Dairy sustainability advancements are often thought of as improvements to manure management, energy usage, or field practices, but in some cases, the greatest opportunities lie at the cow level. Breeding strategies with a focus on feed efficiency, longevity, herd health, and fertility, can meet the present needs of the farm while improving its environmental footprint in an economically viable way.

Over 270 dairy industry leaders gathered in Anaheim, California to attend the Fall Dairy Sustainability Alliance. At the meeting, discussions opened with the release of the 2023-2024 U.S. Dairy Sustainability Report and ensued on various topics surrounding shared progress, credible results, and pathways to emission reductions. Continuing into the Sustainable Agriculture Summit, dairy industry representation remained strong among sustainability conversations of which focused on water conservation, economic feasibility, and emissions modeling and scenario analysis.

The Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy has released its tenth biennial U.S. Dairy Sustainability report, tracking industry performance and successes under three different sectors – Advance Well-Being, Regenerate the Environment, and Care for our Animals and Communities. This 2023-2024 report also includes the first progress update on the industry’s 2050 Environmental Stewardship Goals. Within the environmental sector, significant progress is noted as the industry has reduced greenhouse gas emission intensity, while increasing milk production.

The 2025 Joint Annual Meeting hosted by Dairy Management Inc., National Milk Producers Federation, United Dairy Industry Association, and the National Dairy Promotion and Research Board drew in nearly 800 farmers and industry representatives to Arlington, Texas to celebrate the national checkoff’s investments in research, marketing, partnerships, and innovation. A popular topic of the conference, sustainability, was shown to be shared to consumers through strategic campaigns and storytelling.

The National Dairy Farmers Assuring Responsible Management (FARM) Program’s Excellence Awards were announced at the 2025 Joint Annual Meeting in Arlington, Texas. Continuous improvement of these awards are celebrated through each of the FARM pillars, Animal Care & Antibiotic Stewardship, Environmental Stewardship, and Workforce Development, as well as recognizing an outstanding FARM Program evaluator. Five Star Dairy, located in Alma, Wisconsin was the recipient of the Environmental Stewardship award for their commitment to conservation practices to protect the land, water, and wildlife in their surrounding community.

Newtrient COO, Mark Stoermann, joins Andrew Wedel and Brock Vetick of Settje Agri-Services Engineering to discuss Newtrient’s mission to reduce the environmental footprint of dairy while making it economically viable to do so. Drawing on his expertise in anaerobic digestion and the evolution of manure management practices, Mark highlights how the Newtrient team supports farmers in making confident decisions in selecting manure management technologies and practices that best fit their operation.

The International Dairy Federation (IDF) held its annual Dairy Summit in Santiago, Chile this past October. During the summit, dairy industry leaders from across the world gathered to discuss the challenges the industry currently faces and emerging trends that embrace the future. One of the dominant takeaways from the event were the global sustainability efforts being made to achieve dairy’s 2050 environmental stewardship goals while creating opportunities across the value chain.

Feed by-products such as soybean meal, distiller’s grains, beet pulp, almond hulls, and others, have proven to be an essential component of dairy rations and sustainability efforts. As feed costs rise and environmental expectations increase, nutrient dense animal feed by-products remain a top method for diverting waste from landfills, advancing cost efficiency, and improving herd performance.

In an evolving dairy landscape, staying informed about the latest trends, technologies, and practices is crucial for making implementation decisions that can potentially enhance sustainability, animal health, efficiencies, and revenue. It is important to explore implementation strategies comprehensively and evaluate what aligns best for the specific needs of the operation.

California, a leading state in dairy sustainability achievements, will be holding its annual California Dairy Sustainability Summit on March 24, 2026 at the Visalia Convention Center. As California’s dairy industry is set to achieve climate neutrality within the next few years, the 2026 Summit sets to support dairy farmers in their stewardship efforts, address the challenges ahead, and recognize ongoing advancements.