The Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy, established under the leadership of dairy farmers, is accepting nominations for the seventh annual U.S. Dairy Sustainability Awards honoring exceptional dairy farms, businesses and partnerships for their socially responsible, economically viable and environmentally sound practices.
“The sustainability awards are a great way to celebrate the diverse ways in which the dairy community reinforces our collective commitment to sustainable practices,” said Barbara O’Brien, president of the Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy and Dairy Management Inc. “Each year, the awards recognize those farms and companies that are advancing positive and continuous change for dairy and for communities nationwide.”
Nominations are open through Feb. 12. All farmers and organizations involved in U.S. dairy and those who promote dairy-related health and wellness are eligible to submit nominations in the following categories:
Dairy Farm Sustainability
The Outstanding Dairy Farm Sustainability category recognizes leaders in socially responsible, economically viable and environmentally sound dairy production and exemplify a longstanding commitment to continuous improvement. Successful nominations take a holistic approach to sustainability and provide replicable results that can inspire positive change industrywide.
Processing & Manufacturing Sustainability
The Outstanding Dairy Processing & Manufacturing Sustainability category exemplifies the triple bottom line of sustainability, having demonstrated steps to innovate, measure and communicate progress. It provides replicable success stories to benefit the dairy community and actively engage with peers and stakeholders to inform continuous improvement industrywide.
Community Impact
The Community Impact category recognizes community efforts that improve lives and communities through their positive impacts on health and wellness, hunger relief, workforce development, community volunteering and investment, and/or environmental stewardship. Successful nominations demonstrate instances where farms, cooperatives, processors or other dairy community stakeholders (either collaboratively or as a single entity) develop practical and effective solutions to shared challenges and goals of the communities in which they live and work.
Supply Chain Collaboration
The Supply Chain Collaboration category recognizes collaborative and market-based partnerships to demonstrate that truly sustainable outcomes benefit the entire industry rather than any one customer or supplier. This award highlights customer engagement through a collaborative farm, cooperative, and/or processor partnership to benefit all involved and provide best-in-class examples of sustainable dairy supply chains.
Winner Benefits
The U.S. Dairy Sustainability Awards have honored 53 farms and businesses in the past six years. Help celebrate others who make sustainability a reality every day. The 2018 winners will receive:
- An expenses-paid trip to Chicago in May to the awards ceremony held during the 2018 Dairy Sustainability Forum
- National and local recognition of their stories and passion for sustainability
- A featured case study on usdairy.com to share insights and lessons learned with industry peers (see 2017 winners usdairy.com/2017-winners)
- Opportunities to work with others in the dairy community to help advance sustainability
Program Details
The awards are part of the Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy’s commitment to ensure a socially responsible and ever-improving dairy community.
An independent panel of judges evaluates all nominations based on measurable results and the potential for other dairy farms and businesses to adopt the practices. Nominations also are evaluated for demonstrated learning, innovation and improvement as well as scalability. Judges and sponsors will be announced soon.
Visit USDairy.com/awards to submit your nomination. There is no entry fee.
Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy® is a forum that brings together the dairy community to address the changing needs and expectations of consumers through a framework of shared best practices and accountability. Initiated in 2008 by dairy farmers through the dairy checkoff, we collaborate on efforts that are important both to us and our valued customers – issues like food safety, nutrition and health, the environment and economics. The Innovation Center is committed to continuous improvement from farm to table, striving to ensure a socially responsible and economically viable dairy community.
