COLLABORATION DRIVING DAIRY SUSTAINABILITY
Recently I had the opportunity to attend the New York Dairy Meeting, a two-day event focused on innovative manure management solutions and advancing New York’s dairy conservation legacy. The meeting brought together a remarkably diverse group of stakeholders including dairy farmers, processors, agribusiness representatives, extension personnel, conservationists, lenders, government personnel, and people from watershed-focused organizations and land trusts. The event highlighted a growing reality in agriculture: Meaningful progress in environmental stewardship requires collaboration across the entire dairy supply chain.
The first day, organized by Pro-Dairy and Trust in Food, featured a tour of Coyne Farms in Avon, New York, followed by several panel discussions. Coyne Farms is a great example of how technology and innovation focused on soil health and environmental conservation can be integrated into modern dairy farms. One interesting stop on the tour featured Frost Engineering’s work on the farm’s manure storage system, which included a 2.25-acre covered pit and a flare. Their team demonstrated the technology used to monitor methane collection and combust it to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and improve farm sustainability. While conversations about manure management often focus on nutrient handling, it was valuable to see an example of technology that addresses greenhouse gas emissions while benefiting the farm.
A piece of equipment that caught my attention was a unique grassland manure injection system manufactured by Zimmerman Manufacturing and mounted behind an OXBO (LNMS) applicator. The system is designed to apply manure immediately after a hay crop is harvested, allowing it to be injected directly into established forage stands with minimal soil disturbance and placing nutrients where the crop can utilize them. What makes this system particularly appealing is that the field can continue producing as normal. As farms continue to look for ways to maximize nutrient utilization while protecting soil and water resources, technologies like this offer an interesting option for forage-based systems.
Later in the day I participated in a panel discussion focused on feed efficiency. Feed efficiency has long been a key performance indicator on dairy farms because improving efficiency can reduce feed costs and in some cases, lower the environmental footprint associated with milk production. However, one important point is that the highest feed efficiency is not always the most profitable outcome. As nutritionists and farm managers, our goal is often to improve efficiency, but the most cost-effective feeding strategy may not always yield the absolute best feed efficiency, especially as forage inclusion changes. Balancing profitability, animal performance, feed costs, and environmental outcomes remains a critical part of decision-making on dairy farms.
Day two, led by Dairy Management Inc. (DMI) and The Nature Conservancy, shifted to a broader industry forum format. The audience was intentionally diverse, which created opportunities for productive conversations between groups that do not always interact directly. The lightning session format encouraged concise presentation and exposed all of us to a wide range of resources and ideas in a short period of time. During the resource showcase, I learned of a couple of tools that can be particularly useful for dairy farmers. The first was the Dairy Conservation Navigator (www.dairyconservation.org), a science-based online platform designed to help producers learn about conservation practices, connect with technical assistance providers, and identify potential funding opportunities. The website serves as a learning hub, helping farmers navigate what can feel like a complicated landscape of conservation programs and resources. It is led and funded by DMI with support from FARM, Innovation Center for US Dairy, and Newtrient.
Another valuable resource is Newtrient (www.newtrient.com). Newtrient was established by the dairy industry to reduce the environmental footprint of US dairy while ensuring that sustainability solutions remain economically viable. The site provides information on technologies, conservation practices, nutrient management, renewable energy opportunities, and emerging innovations. Newtrient offers a useful starting point for understanding the environmental and economic aspects of these decisions.
One of the more surprising takeaways from the meeting was learning about the growing involvement of food and beverage companies in agricultural sustainability initiatives. PepsiCo, for example, is positioning itself as a sustainability partner with agriculture through several new programs. Among them is RegneLend, a pilot lending program designed to help farmers adopt soil conservation practices by reducing barriers associated with upfront equipment costs. PepsiCo is also collaborating with Farm Credit on a pilot Stewardship Fund intended to streamline funding opportunities and improve farmers' access to capital for conservation and stewardship activities. Historically I’ve viewed sustainability initiatives as driven primarily by regulators or environmental organizations. However, I’m pleased to see food companies, processors, lenders, and supply chain partners becoming active participants. We are all realizing that long-term sustainability depends on maintaining productive and resilient agricultural systems. Programs like those highlighted in the meeting suggest that additional financial tools and partners may become available to support conservation efforts on farms in the future.
As I reflected on the meeting during the drive home, one theme stood out above all others: collaboration. Dairy farmers do not have to navigate conservation and sustainability challenges alone. A growing network of industry organizations, technical service providers, lenders, and supply chain partners is creating opportunities to support on-farm stewardship. The conversations were practical, forward-looking, and grounded in a shared understanding that long-term sustainability depends on both environmental stewardship and farm profitability.
— Heather Dann
