Letting Farmers Lead

I recently came across a great news article and an excellent example of how the agri-food sector is working together to reduce the carbon footprint of our food. Food companies have a lot to gain by directly working with farmers to address greenhouse gas emissions.

Pizza Hut, known for cheese-centric innovations, and its parent company Yum! Brands are partnering with Dairy Farmers of America (DFA), on an innovative farm-level sustainability project providing dairy farmers producing milk used in Pizza Hut cheeses with technology and data needed to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

One of the things I love best about this initiative is that it is working directly with farmers. DFA has more than 11,500 farm families, and dairy suppliers. According to the article, once enrolled, farms will receive a SCiO cup, “the world’s fastest lab-grade dry matter analyzer, allowing farmers to access instant dry matter analysis of their cows’ feed, helping deliver precise nutrition and – in turn – produce milk more efficiently, create less waste and reduce on-farm greenhouse gas emissions. In addition to using SCiO cups, farmers participating in the program will have the chance to adopt other practices and technologies such as feed management enhancements and energy-efficient lighting.”

Congratulations to Pizza Hut and Dairy Farmers of America for taking the lead in cutting carbon emissions. I am hopeful we will see more exciting farmer-centred initiatives designed to make the agri-food sector carbon-neutral.