A new organization, theInnovation Center for U.S. Dairy, has pledged to research and develop efforts that reduce dairy industry greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) by 25 percent during the next 11 years. Members of the new group include producer organizations, dairy cooperatives and processors. Officials say the industrywide effort will begin by focusing on the fluid milk value chain -- from farm to table -- and include projects to reduce energy use, increase efficiency and tap into new income sources. Specifically, the group said it will (1) identify and share energy-saving best practices across all value chain segments, (2) remove barriers to methane digester adoption and (3) implement pilot programs to test alternatives to thermal pasteurization for raw milk and reduced-temperature clean-in-place processing technologies.
The new organization will be managed and staffed by Dairy Management Inc., a Rosemont, Ill. firm that manages the national dairy checkoff program. Visit innovationcenter@rosedmi.com for more details.