Sustainable practices on the dairy farms
At Idaho Milk Products, we are committed to minimizing our environmental impact throughout every step of our supply chain.
Implementing sustainable practices for environmental stewardship
Idaho Milk Products proudly stands as a vertically integrated, farmer-owned enterprise forged through a partnership among Bettencourt Dairy, Big Sky Dairy, and Skyline Dairy. These respected members of the dairy community in south-central Idaho embody a long-standing commitment to excellence. Our collective ownership group provides all the milk our operations, while also cultivating over 32,000 acres (~12,950 hectares) of cropland.
Soil management
Every farm in our network has a robust Nutrient Management Plan (NMP) that specifically addresses responsible on-farm nutrient utilization. These plans undergo regular reviews to ensure compliance with the intended objectives and optimization of nutrient application.
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Nutrient rich feed
Our farmers utilize crop byproducts like cottonseed, distillers grain, soybean meal and beet pulp. These materials, which might otherwise be discarded as waste, are incorporated into the feed for cows.
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Manure into energy
We've transformed a challenge—manure management—into a positive solution. To cut down on methane emissions, we use special systems called anaerobic digesters. These engines generate electricity that is fed into the local power grid.
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Animal welfare excellence
Without our cows, we wouldn’t exist. That is why we strictly adhere to the Five Freedoms of Animal Welfare, ensuring that our cows are treated with care and respect. Furthermore, we are proud to achieve 100% participation in the FARM Animal Care program. We implement on-farm evaluations to identify areas of strengths and improvements on-farm. All our dairies are independently certified through Validus, an ISO-certified company that documents and verifies socially responsible animal welfare.
Nutritious feed
We take pride in our vast 32,000 acres of farmland, meticulously managed to provide nutritious feed for our herds. Our combined farms yield 100% of the alfalfa and triticale for haylage and silage, and approximately 70% of the corn used in the herds’ daily diet.
Alfalfa
Triticale
Corn
Reducing emissions with science based targets
We are proud to participate in the Science Based Targets Initiative (SBTi) and our near-term targets conform with the SBTi Criteria and Recommendations (Criteria version 5.1) and the SBTi Forest, Land, and Agriculture Guidance (FLAG).
Energy and Industry (E&I):
Idaho Milk Products commits to reduce our 2021 absolute scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions by 42% by 2030. We also commit to reduce absolute scope 3 GHG emissions from purchased goods and services, capital goods, fuel- and energy-related activities, upstream transportation and distribution, waste generated in operations, business travel, employee commuting and downstream transportation and distribution by 25% within the same timeframe.
FLAG
Idaho Milk Products commits to reduce our 2021 scope 3 FLAG GHG emissions from purchased dairy by 42% per ton of fat and protein corrected milk (FPCM) by 2030.
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Resource recovery
We don’t consider any of our byproducts as waste. Instead, we find ways to repurpose them. For instance, off-spec products that can’t be sold for human consumption or excess liquid milk permeate are used as animal feed.
