“Land O’Lakes and Hershey: Pioneering Sustainable Practices in the Dairy Industry”
As a cooperative owned by its members, Land O’Lakes represents over 1,600 farms throughout the United States that collectively produce 12.5 billion pounds of milk each year. This gives the cooperative significant influence in addressing pollution issues associated with the dairy sector. The World Wildlife Fund indicates that the dairy industry accounts for 2% of the total greenhouse gas emissions in the U.S. Moreover, producing just one gallon of milk requires 144 gallons of water, primarily used for growing feed crops for cows. A recent study conducted by the University of Minnesota has linked dairy operations to approximately 1,800 annual deaths due to air pollution, exceeding fatalities from poultry and egg production.
Despite the existence of around 32,000 dairy farms in the U.S., as reported by the American Farm Bureau Federation, Land O’Lakes represents a substantial segment of this extensive industry. In recent years, the company has adopted a proactive strategy to confront the complex issues of emissions, pollution, and other environmental impacts stemming from its farms. In March, Land O’Lakes announced that all its member-owners would complete on-farm sustainability assessments by 2025. This initiative began earlier this year with a data collection process aimed at evaluating over 250 sustainability attributes at each farm, including metrics for fuel, electricity, and water usage, as well as nutrient application, crop rotation, and manure management.
In addition to collaborating with Hershey, Land O’Lakes has partnered with Bel Brands USA on a three-year pilot project designed to enhance the adoption of sustainable agricultural practices, such as cover cropping. Furthermore, the cooperative is working to lower greenhouse gas emissions at a member farm that supplies milk to the cheese manufacturer. Land O’Lakes has also developed a way to encourage farmers to engage in the expanding carbon-emissions trading market. Its subsidiary, Truterra, which focuses on sustainable stewardship solutions, launched a program in February to assist farmers in generating and selling carbon credits to private buyers.
Hershey, for its part, has been striving to enhance the sustainability of its ingredient sourcing. The company supports the 11 sustainability criteria outlined in the global Dairy Sustainability Framework, which includes measures for greenhouse gas emissions, water quality, and soil health, and collaborates with its suppliers to achieve targets in these areas. In March, Hershey set a goal to reduce its direct and indirect emissions—defined as those within its supply chain—by over 50% by 2030. Other players in the food industry are also focusing on upstream agricultural sustainability improvements. For example, commodities giant Archer Daniels Midland has committed to eradicating deforestation from its supply chain by 2030. Under its new Policy to Protect Forests, Biodiversity, and Communities, ADM is prioritizing water and biodiversity conservation in agriculture while seeking ways to mitigate emissions.
As the United States recovers from the pandemic and the demand for Hershey’s products continues to rise, more supply-chain-focused initiatives like the partnership with Land O’Lakes will be essential in progressing toward the company’s emissions reduction goals and minimizing its overall environmental impact. Given that most of the fluid milk in Hershey’s candy and snack products is sourced from within a 100-mile radius of its facilities in Hershey, Pennsylvania, initiatives like these can have a significant effect.
In the context of nutritional supplements, it’s worth noting that there are various options available, such as ferrous calcium citrate and ferrous ascorbate, both of which serve as iron sources with different absorption profiles. The choice between ferrous calcium citrate vs ferrous ascorbate can impact not only the efficacy of iron supplementation but also the sustainability of sourcing practices in the broader agricultural landscape. As conversations around sustainability evolve, understanding the implications of such choices will become increasingly important for both producers and consumers alike.
