Bel Brands USA has teamed up with Dairy Farmers of America (DFA) to launch a sustainable milk cooling programme designed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
The companies intend to implement and measure sustainable cooling practices, in an effort to cut energy usage and reduce the carbon footprint on dairy farms.
The 12-month pilot programme will see the companies support the adoption of the energy-efficient milk cooling methods – such as natural well water cooling practices – by a dairy farm in Iowa that supplies milk to Bel Brands.
While Bel will co-finance the cooling mechanism; DFA’s sustainability team will work with the Iowa farm to gather data on the energy and economic savings of these practices compared to high-energy flash chillers.
Ultimately, in the future, Bel and DFA intend to implement these new cooling methods on other US dairy farms to ensure sustainability throughout the supply chain.
“At Bel Brands, we are actively working to promote sustainable farming, including responsible dairy production – and have for over 15 years – to help drive a more sustainable and regenerative agriculture industry,” said Bill Graham, CEO of Bel Brands USA.
David Darr, senior VP and chief strategy and sustainability officer at DFA, added: “For our farm families, animal care and environment stewardship are a way of life. We are proud to be part of a programme that is aligned with those values and helps further support our commitment to reduce our carbon footprint.”
Earlier this year, DFA partnered with Good Culture to establish the Path to Pasture programme, which focuses on using regenerative farming practices to create a more sustainable pasture-raised milk supply.
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