In the second part of our series for National Dairy Month, we are discussing the sustainability of dairy production. Dairy comes from milk, which is produced by mammals during lactation to nurture their young. This is largely the reason why milk is so nutritionally dense! The global demand for dairy necessitates more dairy farms. In the U.S. alone, over 100 million tons of milk were produced just last year (1). When it comes to greenhouse gasses, dairy production accounts for about 3% of global greenhouse gas emissions (2,3). How does this fair against some other industries? Road emissions account for 11.9% and residential living accounts for 10.9% worldwide (13). There are almost 270 million dairy cows worldwide to supply our daily needs, and that’s not even accounting for the other less common dairy animals (4)! Dairy cows require water, food, and land to grow and produce milk. Dairy cows need to drink 4.5 pounds of water to produce just one pound of milk (5). According to the Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations, dairy animals take up 1 billion hectares (or 2.47 billion acres!) of land. That’s about 7% of all the land on the planet.
A study completed last year that looked at U.S. dairy production from 2007 to 2017 found improved environmental sustainability. Within the span of 10 years, the industry used fewer cows, food, land, and water to make the same amount of milk. Total greenhouse gas emissions were almost 20% less as well. Milk production increased by 25% but generated only 1% more in emissions (3). Some farmers in California, which typically has the most strict sustainability laws, have reduced water usage by about 50% (7). Great strides in sustainability were able to be made through improved agricultural practices and optimizing the health of the cows so they produce more milk and live longer (3). The U.S. dairy industry has set sustainability goals to reach for 2050, including being carbon neutral (8). FAO reports found that milk production in North America and Western Europe is the most efficient, but all regions worldwide have been improving in sustainable practices from 2005 - 2015 (9,10).
What can the rest of us do? We can support dairy brands and farms that operate, sustainably! When buying dairy, check out their stance on sustainable practices. Buying local is a great way to know exactly what farms your dairy is coming from and if they are sustainable. Another plus is that since it’s local, you minimize the total carbon footprint!
Other alternatives include nut milk and products and other substitutes such as rice, coconut, and oat. However, these alternatives cannot match the complete nutritional profile of traditional dairy milk (11). Fortified soy milk comes the closest and is in fact the only milk alternative recognized by the Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2015-2020 that is allowed for use by the government for child nutrition programs due to its protein content(12). Though milk alternatives exist, it’s important to keep in mind that they are not complete nutritional substitutes for milk despite the “milk” branding.
The dairy industry, especially in the U.S., is taking strides to become more sustainable for the consumers and most importantly our planet. By 2050, the dairy industry in the U.S. plans to be carbon neutral through science and technology. I can’t wait for what the future holds for our delicious cup of milk.
12. MilkSubstitutesCACFP.pdf [Internet]. [cited 2020 Jun 10]. Available from: https://portal.ct.gov/-/media/SDE/Nutrition/CACFP/SpecDiet/MilkSubstitutesCACFP.pdf