Bel Brands USA and Land O'Lakes, Inc. partner on pilot sustainable agriculture program
The three-year pilot effort will be one of the first to use Land O'Lakes' Truterra Insights Engine to track crop system changes on a dairy farm.
Throughout the program, Bel and Land O'Lakes will support the adoption of sustainable farming methods, including cover cropping, by a Land O'Lakes member-owner farm in South Dakota that supplies milk to Bel Brands.
The farm will work with Land O'Lakes' Dairy 2025 Commitment team and use the company's Truterra Insights Engine to capture actionable data about these on-farm sustainable agriculture practices and the economic impacts. The use of the tool will provide a different level of data and transparency to better inform management decisions across an entire farm, acre by acre, tracking changes and improvements in key sustainability factors such as greenhouse gas emissions and soil erosion.
"Our mission is to champion healthier and more responsible food for all," said Bill Graham, CEO, Bel Brands USA.
"Our partnership with Land O'Lakes and the farmers that supply us exemplifies our unwavering commitment to innovation and sustainability. Together, we are exploring ways we can be the best possible partners to dairy farmers in their efforts to make the dairy industry more sustainable and conserve the planet's resources."
The pilot supports Bel Brands' and Land O'Lakes' shared ambitions to improve sustainable farming practices and reduce both companies' overall environmental footprint, and the findings of the program will help inform future best practices for dairy farm sustainability throughout their shared supply chain.
"As a farmer-owned cooperative, Land O'Lakes and our member-owners have always taken a leadership position in terms of both on-farm sustainability and animal care,” said Pete Kappelman, senior vice president of Land O'Lakes Member and Government Relations.
"Through our Dairy 2025 Commitment and Truterra business, and by working with partners such as Bel Brands USA, we believe we can leverage this leadership to help meet specific sustainability goals and provide lasting market opportunities for our of farmer-owners."
