Sustainability and carbon footprint are the center of many discussions today, especially as food companies work to meet their sustainability targets. The dairy industry has a progressive and positive story to tell and the potential for farmers to capture value for the work they are already doing.
The Carbon, Crops + Cows program, presented by Professional Dairy Producers, is a farmer-focused event designed to give them the tools and knowledge to measure and manage their farm’s sustainability metrics, while also understanding opportunities and potential challenges down the road.
The one-day event will repeat at two locations:
- Tuesday, March 25 at Pagel’s Ponderosa Dairy in Kewaunee
- Wednesday, March 26 at Compeer Financial in Sun Prairie
The program runs from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. each day, with lunch and program materials provided. Executive Director Shelly Mayer has the details:
Topics
Key topics will include understanding carbon markets and carbon intensity scores and their impact on dairy operations. Participants will learn about the FARM-ES, Comet, and Cool Farm Tool models. In addition, attendees will learn how to tap into grants of up to $9,750 per farm, covering up to 2,500 acres.
“Sustainability is at the heart of successful dairy businesses and we are always looking for ways to be more efficient, productive and resourceful,” says PDP Board Vice President and dairy farmer Paul Lippert. “The Carbon, Crops + Cows program is a great way for producers to understand the options and process for measuring their sustainability and carbon scores, learn actionable steps to improve, and know the opportunities ahead.”
Presenters will include Carson Dugger, lead agronomist at Eocene Environmental Group, and Courtney Titus, technical services manager at Eocene Environmental Group.
Each session will feature a panel discussion with dairy producers who have participated in the PDP Your Farm – Your Footprint™ initiative and can share insights on the information gathering and reporting process, and what they have learned from carbon tracking and data analysis on their own farms.
The March 25 session will feature Paul Lippert, co-owner of Grass Ridge Farm, in Pittsville and J.J. Pagel, co-owner of Pagel’s Ponderosa Dairy. Panelists at the March 26 session will be John Haag, owner and operator of Haag Dairy LLC, in Dane and Brady Weiland, co-owner of Weiland Dairy LLC and High Gear Holsteins LLC, in Columbus.
Learn more and register: https://pdpw.org/
