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When it comes to managing pre-consumer food waste, dairy cows are a huge part of the solution because, to them, these byproducts are a luxury. “These animals have specifically evolved to digest fiber and extract nutrition. The byproducts, for example—it’s good stuff for them; it has nutritive value,” said Juan Tricarico, Ph.D., senior vice president of environmental research and distinguished scientist at Dairy Management, Inc. (DMI), in a TIME article.

In 1991, Dr. Mike Hutjens, emeritus professor in the Department of Animal Sciences at the University of Illinois, defined four key factors for evaluating feed additives: Response, Returns, Research and Results (Hutjens, 1991). Dr. Hutjens later added 3 additional Rs for industry professionals to consider: Repeatability, Reliability and Relativity. Feed additives that claim to reduce methane emissions from cattle will emerge as potential tools to mitigate climate change. The pressure to consider their use will be significant. However, we must consider these seven Rs when evaluating the efficacy, economics and safety of feed additives to inhibit enteric methane emissions from cattle without impacting animal performance, farm profitability or consumer acceptance of the technology.

On our last grocery trip, my fiancé and I brought home two half gallons of ice cream, seven bags of shredded cheese, one gallon of milk, three packages of cream cheese, a quart of heavy cream and an extra-large package of string cheese. I think it’s safe to say that we love milk and dairy products and celebrate milk all the time!

The short answer to my question is: yes! In “Part 1 – Defining Sustainability” of the Institute for Feed Education and Research’s (IFEEDER) webinar series, Kim Stackhouse-Lawson, Ph.D., director of AgNext at Colorado State University, shared an important idea for agricultural sustainability efforts, which is that sustainability is driven by both science and emotion. The recent Journal of Dairy Science article “Sustainability: Different Perspectives, Inherent Conflict” offers insights on consumer perspectives that further confound sustainability discussions.

The fact that dairy cows eat agricultural byproduct feed is not news. For example, dairy cows have been recycling distiller’s grains for as long as humans have been fermenting grains and distilling ethanol from them. What IS news, however, is that dairy cows are now starting to get recognition for their role as valuable nutrient recyclers in the agricultural system because of this practice. 

When I was forwarded an article from a good friend (thanks Chad) and saw the headline – Whole Milk Mounts it’s Triumphant Comeback “Hot girls are ditching the alternatives and are going back to basics,” I figured I needed to read this. My first thought was, some of us never left whole milk (or dairy products in general), so I guess I’m not a hot girl???

In advance of the United Nations Food Systems Summit (UNFSS) happening on Thursday, Elanco Animal Health and Agri-Pulse brought together livestock industry leaders, producers and government officials through a virtual forum last week to catalyze action and encourage stakeholder engagement with the livestock industry value chain and the private sector. As I listened, I heard the comments as a call to action for the private sector, and the feed industry in particular, to provide and account for the environmental and economic value of the solutions we provide in our livestock and poultry feed.

Across the U.S. animal food industry, our members have gone above and beyond throughout the coronavirus pandemic to help their local communities in need – from providing food (and pet food!) donations to manufacturing hand sanitizer and other personal protective equipment at their facilities to everything in between. We recently had the opportunity to speak with one of our members – Balchem – on a “kool” project it is working on to support local communities.