As the world navigates unprecedented times, focusing on what matters most is paramount for collective healing—protecting the health and well-being of people and communities alongside careful stewardship of our natural resources.

This year marks the 50^th anniversary of the first Earth Day celebration, which also charts a history of increasing interest in the entire food supply chain, from who grows our food, where it comes from and how it’s made. Thanks to U.S. dairy farmers’ legacy of relentless dedication to careful management and continuous adoption of innovative practices, they’ve proven emblematic of the sustainability initiatives and environmental mindfulness celebrated on this occasion.

The U.S. Dairy Export Council has developed a new brochure detailing U.S. dairy farmers’ unwavering commitment to responsible production practices and continuous improvement across the value chain, demonstrating positive impact from farm to table.

U.S. dairy farmers work day-in, day-out to incorporate and refine practices such as enhancing cow comfort, utilizing improved feed and genetics and modern barn design, helping make U.S. milk production increasingly more efficient and using significantly less water, land and other resources than ever before.

A recent study published in the Journal of Dairy Science shows that from 2007 to 2017, the U.S. dairy industry’s greenhouse gas emissions declined by 19.2% per gallon (3.79 liters) of milk produced. A gallon of milk produced in 2017 also used 21% less land and 30% less water than ten years ago.

Visit ThinkUSAdairy.org/sustainability for more information on how these practices not only focus on the environment, but add up to promote the health and well-being of consumers, communities, cows, employees, the planet and business. Further explore U.S. Dairy’s legacy of environmentally conscious milk production in this interactive flipbook.