Food - Drink
How Dairy Farmers Are Making Milk And Cheese More Sustainable
By CEARA MILLIGAN
Sustainability has become a buzzword as customers search for ethically-made products while businesses shift towards environmentally-friendly practices. The food sector is leading the way, with 55% of these businesses enforcing environmentally-friendly practices, such as the dairy industry’s new, creative and sustainable procedures.
A number of dairy farmers are recycling natural resources such as air and water, and reusing manure to eliminate the need for artificial fertilizers. Likewise, the new Farm Powered Strategic Alliance helps dairy farms invest in regenerative agriculture, which reduces waste and emissions by putting these elements back into the soil to be used again.
One dairy farm in particular, Crave Brothers Farmstead Cheese in Wisconsin, is going above and beyond. The family-owned dairy farm prides itself on its modern, sustainable manufacturing methods, which use microorganisms to disintegrate organic waste to create methane, carbon dioxide, and other gasses that are then used to power the entire farm plus 300 nearby homes.