Dairying Goes Green

A recent study conducted by Cornell University looked at the environmental impact of dairy farming and found today’s U.S. dairy farms leave a smaller carbon footprint than those operating in the 1940s. Improvements in technology, management, nutrition, genetics and animal welfare have created a more efficient production system, decreasing the carbon footprint.

In 2007 U. S. dairies produced 186 billion pounds of milk from 9.2 million cows while dairymen in 1944 milked 25.6 million dairy cows and produced only 117 billion pounds of milk. This resulted in a 41 percent decrease in total carbon footprint for U.S. milk production and a 63 percent decrease when measured per gallon of milk.

The study also found modern dairy operations use 10 percent of the land, 23 percent of the feed and 35 percent of the water required to produce the same amount of milk in 1944. Even better—dairies today produce 24 percent less manure and 43 percent less methane per gallon of milk compared to 1944.