Professionals in the food and beverage industry know well how technology can improve inefficiencies and offer eco-friendly solutions for food production. Yet, many consumers don’t fully understand the role technology plays in producing sustainable food. Addressing this education gap starts with sharing the benefits that technology has in our industry.

A panel of speakers at South by Southwest® (SXSW) discussed this topic on March 13 in Austin, TX. The session, “We Love Technology... Why Not When It Comes to Food?”, explored the impact technology has on the way we live our lives. The panel identified that even though consumers are becoming more comfortable with technology, receptiveness has not transferred as smoothly to food.

It might be surprising to learn that technology has improved many day-to-day activities for dairy farmers. Technology allows them to give cows the care and comfort they need to deliver nutritious products that meet consumer expectations. Advancements such as energy-efficient lighting, recycling manure and water, robotic milkers and anaerobic digesters all help create a more sustainable and healthy future.

Examples of other practices that help maximize resources include:

• Nutrient management: Manure is a valuable resource that is used as a natural crop fertilizer.
• Methane digester systems: This technology is used to recycle manure into clean, renewable electricity.
• Recycling water: Water is sometimes recycled three to five times. For example, water used to clean barns can also irrigate feeding crops.
• Smart collars: Sophisticated collars (cows had their own version of the Fitbit long before we did) can track a cow’s movement, activity and production to optimize heath and care.

U.S. milk production continues to flourish as dairy farmers incorporate advancements that decrease greenhouse gases, use less cropland and shrink water usage. And they are not settling — the search for advanced ways to operate more efficiently while providing nutritious, high-quality and affordable products is constant.