“Today we have a third of the number of cows we had in 1960, and we’re producing more milk,” said Christine Baes of the University of Guelph during her keynote presentation at the 2024 Dairy Cattle Reproduction Council annual meeting. “That’s a pretty good sustainability story, but when you Google ‘sustainability and dairy cows,’ you see headlines about cow flatulence. Why is that?”

In a room filled with dairy producers, processors and customers, farmer Mitch Breunig looked around and announced, “I’m really impressed with how many people care about sustainability. … Everyone is this room is here because of the dairy cow, and improving the dairy cow is going to be the path to make this sustainability journey come together.” 

Dairy Farmers of Canada (DFC) was on hand advocating for Canada’s farmers at the International Dairy Federation’s (IDF) World Dairy Summit in Paris, Oct. 15 -18. 

Addressing dairy sustainability goals through a comprehensive and holistic approach and taking into consideration the entire operation as the active unit mitigating environmental impact is the ultimate way to ensure all initiatives fulfill the true definition of sustainability.

Over 450 dairy nutritionists, consultants and industry professionals from around the world gathered in East Syracuse, New York, Oct. 22-24, for the 86th annual Cornell Nutrition Conference.

Progressive Dairy Editor Jenn Coyne spoke with Jamie Leifker, president of Truterra, to learn more about industry efforts to support sustainable dairy farming practices and reach goals within the dairy supply chain. 

In Canada, the dairy sector is a major source of agricultural methane, placing it squarely in the spotlight as the country races to meet Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) targets and Canada's net zero by 2050 commitment. However, the industry’s sluggish pace toward emission reductions raises serious doubts about achieving this goal.

For decades, the agricultural industry has been at the forefront of innovation, continually adapting to meet global demands and environmental challenges.