California dairy farmers’ efforts to both eliminate and capture methane emissions are further reducing the footprint of every glass of milk produced. This article is sponsored by Real California Milk. On the heels of the Leaders on Climate Summit in April, all eyes are on the U.S. to meet its newly set target to halve greenhouse gas emissions by 2030. For the California dairy industry, however, this has been an ongoing objective for some time. The will, strategy and technology have fallen into place, enabling California dairies to have this target well in sight as they strive for greater objectives. This includes reaching "climate neutrality" - when an industry has no net global warming impact - a key milestone on the path to reaching the U.S. Dairy goal of net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. In late 2020, the California Dairy Sustainability Summit convened to discuss policies, strategies and technologies helping to drive innovation and progress toward climate neutrality at the state level. What came through clearly is that California’s dairy families understand the responsibility and environmental considerations that come with producing nearly one-fifth of the country’s milk. They have long been committed to providing products that are not only nutritious but produced in a way that keeps California’s finite resources and environmental balance in mind. For example, the amount of water used per gallon of milk produced has decreased by more than 88 percent over a 50-year period, due to improved feed crop production, water use efficiency and the use of byproducts as feed ingredients. That’s great progress. But working with other local and national partners, California dairy farmers remain focused on the future and on improving upon this progress, helping to ensure a greener future for generations that follow. According to a recent White Paper from the Clarity and Leadership for Environmental Awareness and Research (CLEAR) Center... |