Dairy Farmers of Canada (DFC) is piloting on-farm projects to gather farmers’ experiences and perspectives in two key areas: the new and updated Code of Practice for the Care and Handling of Dairy Cattle, and further implementation of sustainability tools to measure greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.

Animal care

Since the release of the new and updated Code of Practice for the Care and Handling of Dairy Cattle, DFC and the proAction committees have been working diligently to incorporate the new requirements into the proAction program.

The proAction Animal Care Technical Committee has invested many hours through both in-person and virtual meetings, and the Food Safety and Biosecurity Technical committees have discussed changes to their respective module requirements. DFC combined the results of all the committee discussions and developed a draft farmer reference manual, validation protocol and other supporting documents.

Due to the volume and complexity of changes, the proAction committee determined that a full on-farm pilot was critical to ensure successful future implementation, including clear requirements and consistent validation. As a pilot takes time, DFC is targeting the implementation of the package of new requirements by April 2027.

Together with provincial organizations, DFC launched the on-farm pilot in December 2024, and it runs until spring 2025. DFC will seek feedback from farmers, provincial staff, validators and veterinarians, and the proAction committees will evaluate the results and consider revisions needed.

DFC is confident that the April 2027 implementation of the new Code of Practice for the Care and Handling of Dairy Cattle will lead to an effective implementation of the new requirements that will benefit not only farmers but also the entire Canadian dairy industry and consumers.

Sustainability

Many Canadian dairy farmers want to measure their carbon footprints to learn how they can take practical, individual action toward making their farms more sustainable businesses. To this end, DFC and the provincial dairy associations are guiding the implementation of a pilot project to test an on-farm GHG emissions calculator, which was unveiled in January.

The pilot project will determine whether this specific calculator, called the Cool Farm Tool  (CFT), will provide accurate measurements within the Canadian dairy landscape, paint an accurate picture of our sector’s sustainability and assess its ease of use. The CFT is designed to help measure a farm’s carbon footprint, provide farmers with data and help them customize environmental plans and increase efficiencies.

Forty farms across Canada have volunteered to test this tool over the next year. These participants will benefit from the knowledge of CFT-certified advisers for ongoing technical support, assessment completion and advice on how to turn results into an implementation plan that aligns with best management practices. Farmers will then evaluate their complete experience, including the CFT’s usefulness and ease of use.

The pilot project will determine if the CFT provides accurate insights for Canadian dairy farmers; for instance, understanding where energy and transport emissions are highest can help farmers improve efficiencies and lower costs. The data from the project will then be compared to DFC’s Life Cycle Assessment results and used to identify the most significant areas of on-farm emissions contributions.

While the pilot project’s focus is on carbon footprints, farmers can also use the CFT to voluntarily explore other desired sustainability projects, including identifying hotspots and mitigating risks beyond GHGs, such as water conservation and soil health.

Both pilot projects have been made possible through Agriculture and Agri-food Canada funding via the Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership.

Dairy Farmers of Canada (DFC) is the national policy, lobbying and promotional organization representing Canadian dairy producers. DFC strives to create stable conditions for the dairy sector in our country. It also seeks to maintain policies that promote the sustainability of Canadian dairy production and promote dairy products and their health benefits. Visit DFC’s website for more information.