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6. Environment > Towards Sustainable Agriculture When you think about it, Ben & Jerry’s simply would not be Ben & Jerry’s if it weren’t for the family farms supplying the high quality dairy ingredients we depend on. That’s why we have long been committed to supporting sustainable practices in the dairy industry. It’s our belief that sustainable agriculture is about making continuous improvements to existing farming practices in order to help make them more environmentally sound, socially just and economically viable. Our commitment to this ideal has taken on various forms over the years. In 2006, we continued our involvement in two ongoing projects in this area, one in Vermont and one in the Netherlands, where Ben & Jerry’s ice cream is manufactured for the European market. Dairy Stewardship Alliance The Dairy Stewardship Alliance (DSA) has been a collaborative effort between Ben & Jerry’s, the University of Vermont’s Center for Sustainable Agriculture, the
As a first step in 2003, we engaged four graduate students from the Corporate Environmental Management Program at the University of Michigan’s School of Natural Resources and Environment to develop a comprehensive set of sustainability indicators for dairy farming, along with a set of Educational Modules that farmers could use to self-assess their farm management practices and performance over time. The Toolkit was officially launched in late 2004 with a group of farmer-members of the St. Albans Coop who provided feedback on the original toolkit as they completed the assessment modules. Their results were submitted for inclusion in a confidential database. Participating farmers received a personalized summary of the results for their farms, a comparison to other member farms’ results, and information on how to improve results. In early 2006 the DSA was awarded an $87,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education program. This substantial grant will allow the toolkit to be transformed into an interactive online resource. We intend to complete this work by the end of 2007. To date the DSA has 25 participating farms with a goal of 52 by the end of 2008. Currently more than half of this group have finished the toolkit, identified two specific areas to improve on, and committed to make these changes. Once these changes have been completed each farmer will reassess their operation and determine if their overall score has changed. Going forward, we will continue to work with these farmers to encourage other changes that will have positive impacts on their farm. We also intend to compile quantifiable data on farmers’ progress towards identifying and completing changes on their farms. In 2006, the Dairy Stewardship Alliance formed an Advisory team made up representatives from the core organizations plus three dairy farmers, a loan officer from the Farm Credit Union and a representative from the Vermont Sustainable Jobs Fund. This team will help with strategic oversight, practical advice, and communication about DSA. 
Read The Dairy Stewardship Alliance Toolkit in full: (downloadable PDF files)
As an outgrowth of the DSA, and in response to the rising cost of energy on Vermont dairy farms and growing concerns about climate change, Ben & Jerry’s partnered with the Vermont Environmental Consortium and the The goal of the project was to provide dairy farmers access to information that can help them evaluate renewable energy options for their farm. The guide, compiled by experts in fourteen specific areas of renewable energy, provides insight to farmers on questions they would ask in order to make early-phase decisions about which energy products are most applicable to their farm and where to get further information. In 2006 the Farm Energy Handbook was sent to every dairy farmer in Vermont and in early 2007 it was introduced to the Vermont Legislature during their focus on Vermont’s energy future. In Europe, we are involved in a partnership with our dairy supplier and other groups with the goal to advance sustainable practices in the dairy industry. |
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Vermont Dairy Task Force to develop The Farm Energy Handbook, A Guide to Renewable Energy Opportunities in 2006.