GREEN BAY, Wis. — Grassland Dairy Products has joined the Dairy Strong Sustainability Alliance (DSSA), a diverse group of partners who have come together to ensure that all touchpoints in the production of dairy foods are continuously improving.
This new alliance is a collaborative group that represents all aspects of the dairy community: farmers, processors conservation groups, vendors and service providers, consumer packaged goods companies, retailers, government agencies, universities and dairy and trade non-profits. The goal is to show tangible continuous improvements in animal care, environmental conservation, food safety and other practices.
The Wisconsin Cheese Makers Association endorsed the alliance from its start this past August, and Grassland Dairy Products, headquartered in Greenwood, Wis., represents the second dairy processor that will contribute aggregate data, both from farms and processing facilities. Foremost Farms USA joined the alliance in December 2016.
“Our dairy farmers are committed to producing milk in a sustainable manner for the environment, their animals, employees and business in general. Grassland is excited to cultivate this knowledge and offer a platform on which farmers can share that knowledge to the betterment of the dairy community and dairy market as a whole,” said Trevor Wuethrich, president of Grassland Dairy Products. “Dairy farmers are innovative by nature and the DSSA allows a platform to build on that unique skill set.”
The alliance focuses on establishing “milksheds” throughout Wisconsin. A milkshed is a group of farms working together with a dairy processor. Farmers and their processor use established tools to measure their environmental footprint and track progress toward being more sustainable. Combining farm data with processor data provides customers with a more complete picture of the overall sustainability of Wisconsin’s dairy community.
“Grassland is a leader in butter and dairy ingredients. As a family-owned business, the company understands the family business model of most farms in Wisconsin and beyond,” said Maria Woldt, the sustainability lead for the alliance and director of industry relations for the Dairy Business Association, a Wisconsin-based partner in the alliance.
“We are excited that Grassland has chosen to use the DSSA as their entrance into the dairy sustainability space that is so important to the farmers who supply their milk and the customers who buy their products,” Woldt said.
Grassland Dairy Products joins a host of other partners in a working group charged with developing the program: American Society of Agronomy, Dairy Business Association, Dairy Business Milk Marketing Cooperative, Foremost Farms USA, Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy, The Nature Conservancy, Peninsula Pride Farms, U.S. Farmers and Ranchers Alliance, Wisconsin Cheese Makers Association, Wisconsin Farm Bureau, Wisconsin Geological and Natural History Survey and Yahara Pride Farms.
Farmers and processors will use nationally recognized tools from Field to Market, Innovation Center for US Dairy and the National Dairy F.A.R.M. Program as well as several in-state tools to measure results. The alliance is seeking collaborators to leverage strengths that will improve the program. Farmers and dairy processors are being recruited to participate in a 2017 pilot program.
About the Dairy Strong Sustainability Alliance: Organized in the spring of 2016, the goal of the alliance is to show tangible improvement throughout the dairy supply chain in the areas of land use, soil conservation, nutrient management, water quality and use, energy use, animal care, food safety, greenhouse emissions, economic health and social responsibility. The DSSA achieves these goals by applying existing sustainability tools to efforts led by farmers and dairy processors. To learn more, visit dairystrong.org/sustainability.
About Grassland Dairy Products: Grassland Dairy Products, Inc. is a leading, family-owned dairy manufacturer in Greenwood, Wis. Recognized worldwide for quality butter products and dairy ingredients, Grassland commits to exceeding the needs of its dairy retail, foodservice and industrial customers. Each product is made with the same commitment to quality, service and value as it was when established in 1904.
— Dairy Strong Sustainability Alliance
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