Dairy farmers will be rewarded for their voluntary carbon reduction efforts as part of a new program with Edge Dairy Farmer Cooperative.
Jen Block, director of value chain partnerships, tells Brownfield the EmPower+ program gives farmers the tools and metrics they need to verify environmental improvements.
“We know dairy farmers have been improving efficiency and sustainability for decades, but they haven’t always been rewarded for it,” she says. “EmPower+ creates that bridge.”
She says data will be collected to individually set emission baselines for farms on feed, manure, herd management, and cropping systems.
“These are things farmers are already doing, however, we need to verify the reductions and validate them so they can be monetized,” she explains.
Block says processors will be able to collaboratively use the information to meet value chain reporting requirements and demonstrate measurable Scope 3 GHG reductions.
The Wisconsin-based dairy cooperative is the second-largest in the U.S. based on milk volume, with member farms in Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Nebraska, Ohio, South Dakota, and Wisconsin.
