Edge Dairy Farmer Cooperative and Farmers for Sustainable Food announced the launch of EmPower+. It is a program that connects farmer-led innovation directly to environmental goals of the dairy value chain.
EmPower+ offers data support services and a portfolio of production efficiency solutions designed to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. The program pairs on-farm innovation with a robust accounting methodology. It aims to measure, report and verify emission reductions at the farm level.
This farmer-led, data-driven initiative creates a practical, transparent path for verified emission reductions to be embedded directly into milk procurement. It aims to create new opportunities to recognize and reward measurable environmental performance across the dairy value chain.
The development of this transparent, whole-farm, outcomes-based model positions dairy farmers as leaders in sustainable agriculture. It does so by aligning the interests of farmers, processors and food companies. It is built on credible data, third-party verification and full-farm GHG performance metrics and in alignment with the global GHG Protocol. The program establishes a foundation for shared value and accountability across the entire value chain.
EmPower+ is a multi-stage program grounded in trusted data collection. Farms participating with their processors are supported in creating a comprehensive data stream with protected information to both the farmer and the processor. Farms can choose to participate independently. In both cases farmers and processors can use the program to meet their business goals:
- Farmers are empowered to understand how their management practices impact their footprint to make informed decisions that improve efficiency and reduce emissions across the entire farm.
- Processors use the data to meet value chain reporting requirements and demonstrate measurable Scope 3 GHG reductions.
