At just 2% of total U.S. greenhouse gas emissions (GHG), dairies across the country have made significant improvements to produce food more efficiently, conserve resources and reduce waste.

Using feed efficiency as the silver-bullet answer for questions of on-farm sustainability can be tempting. After all, feed costs represent 50 to 60 percent of the operating expenses of the average dairy farm. Feed production and its consumption are a considerable portion of the environmental footprint as well.

Dairy producers’ commitment to providing consumers with great-tasting, nutritious and high-quality milk and dairy products has never been more solid. But today’s consumers are increasingly removed from agriculture, and dairy checkoff-funded research confirms that consumers want to know more about the products they buy and how they are produced.