Dairy producers and industry-involved individuals are invited to the I-29 MOO University virtual winter workshop in partnership with Midwest Dairy & State Trade Associations that will be held on Jan. 12 from 10 to 1:30 p.m.
This workshop will focus on the Net Zero Initiative and what the impact will be for dairy producers. Attendees will gain knowledge through a hands-on virtual experience of how sustainability practices are being implemented on dairy farms and within dairy processing plants.
The agenda includes:
10 a.m. CST: Keynote: “Why Net Zero? Why Should Producers Care? Why Consumers Care about it? What it means to Producers & Industry” by Jim Wallace, Senior Vice President of Environmental Research at Dairy Management Inc. and invited speaker Krysta Harden, Executive Vice President of Global Environmental Strategy at Dairy Management, Inc. and Chief Operating Officer at U.S. Dairy Export Council.
10:45 a.m. CST: Three virtual sustainability sessions. Interact with these presenters and learn how sustainability practices have been implemented on farm and in the industry. These sessions will include:
Cover crops: Cinnamon Ridge Farms, a 5th generation farm, was awarded the Farmers Assuring Responsible Management for Dairy Farms award. They work to assure their customers that the milk and beef produced meets very high standards for sustainability and animal care. They milk Jersey cows using robots, raise beef cattle, pigs and chickens. They also produce corn, soybeans and winter wheat, while incorporating cover crops. Milk produced on the farm is processed into cheese on the farm.
Dairy production technology: Rosy-Lane Holsteins –Watertown, WI. U.S. Dairy Sustainability 2020 Award Winner. Healthy cows and a healthy planet go hand-in-hand at Wisconsin’s Rosy-Lane Holsteins dairy. The emphasis on cow health started with incorporating cattle genetic technologies, breeding cows that live longer and are less susceptible to disease and illness. Genetics has helped the farm produce 1.7 pounds of milk for every 1 pound of feed for the milking herd. The average U.S. dairy attains 1.5. Their higher average which equates to 70 more semi-tankers of milk/year utilizing the same inputs.
Dairy processing technology: Leprino Foods, Greely, Co is also a U.S. Dairy Sustainability 2020 Award Winner. This dairy plant exemplifies environmental sustainability with a replicable process that ensures no precious resource isn’t maximized. Built on an abandoned sugar-processing factory’s site, it relies on a combined heat and power system with electricity from two natural gas turbines, which meets about 75% of the plant’s power needs. The plant also employed technology that uses water from milk during the cheesemaking process to clean the facility, reducing the need for fresh water. Further, that recycled water goes through treatment that results in feedstock for the plant’s anaerobic digester, which, in turn, creates renewable biogas. This and more adds up to $4.5 million in estimated annual energy cost savings from onsite natural gas turbines after a five-year payback.
This portion of the program will conclude at 12:20 p.m., followed by a virtual lunch at 12:30.
12:30 p.m. CST: Midwest Dairy and the State Dairy Association will provide updates within their individual state breakout rooms (MN, SD, IA, NE, ND), concluding by 1:30 PM.
There is no registration fee, but pre-registration is required by Jan. 11. To register or view full agenda, visit here or go to the I-29 Moo University website. A registration link can also be requested from Tracey Erickson at [email protected].
I-29 Moo University is a consortium of Extension dairy specialists from the land-grant universities in Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota and South Dakota.
The I-29 Moo University Collaboration is a multi-state learning community and connects extension dairy staff and dairy producers to share research, information and management practices through workshops, webinars, monthly e-newsletters and on-farm tours. For more information about the I-29 Moo University Collaboration and programs visit here.