Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy

The Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy® (Innovation Center) works with the dairy industry to foster innovation and give consumers more of what they want, when and where they want it. Through this industry-wide partnership, we can more effectively deliver nutritious dairy foods, beverages and ingredients for the health of people, communities and the planet.

U.S. dairy has made an industry-wide commitment to be leaders in sustainability. Through the Innovation Center’s Dairy Sustainability Alliance, stakeholders – including farmers and crop input suppliers, as well as leading processors, brands and environmental nonprofits – work together to support the development and continuation of the U.S. Dairy Sustainability Commitment. The guiding principles of this commitment highlight our support for a sustainable food system that promotes the health and well-being of our cows, our consumers, our communities, our employees, our resources and our planet.

The Stewardship and Sustainability Framework for U.S. Dairy (Framework) is a voluntary resource that provides an industry-level and stakeholder view of relevant topics – termed “indicators” – and corresponding metrics to track, measure and communicate dairy’s longstanding commitment to sustainability. The 4R nutrient stewardship approach is included in the Framework’s Nutrient Management indicator and ties directly to an ongoing partnership with Field to Market to advance the sustainability of field crops and dairy feed.