Straus Family Creamery has started a new Organic Dairy Sustainability Incentive Program, meant to financially support farms as they implement on-farm climate solutions.
The program will include monthly payments to farmers based upon successful on-farm emissions-reduction efforts, such as regenerative land management practices, the use of anaerobic digesters to reduce methane emissions, and composing, to name a few. Farms will not be able to earn incentive payments for indirect emissions reductions, such as the purchase of carbon offsets, or based on results without implementing carbon-reducing farming techniques.
Straus Family Creamery said it aims to root the program in organic farming practices, so participating farms must also adhere to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Organic Program.
The company said it has already issued a total of $250,000 in incentives, and its collaborative approach to reducing agriculture-related emissions was recognized by the World Wildlife Fund in its report, Reducing Greenhouse Gases with Incentives at the Farm.
“We could not execute this program and our 2030 net carbon neutral goal without the mutual collaboration and innovation of our entire network of organic dairy farms,” said Joseph Button, vice president of sustainability and strategic impact of Straus Family Creamery. “These farms are key stakeholders in helping us advance a sustainable organic dairy farm model and a more resilient food system.”
One of Straus Family Creamery’s key missions is to revitalize rural communities through collaborations with family farms, according to the company.
As the number of dairy farms in the United States declines, the company reportedly continues to uphold the economic viability of organic farming while reducing climate impact. This includes creating a model for carbon-neutral organic dairy farming. The company promotes agricultural practices such as rotational grazing, building nutrient-dense soil to better store carbon, and restoring woodlands and streams. The Straus Dairy Farm itself also became the first in California to develop a carbon farm plan when it established a 20-year plan in collaboration with the Marin Carbon Project in 2013.
The company recently added three new farms to its supplier group, including Moretti Family Farm, Robert McClelland Dairy, and Nosecchi Family Dairy.[/et_pb_text][/et_pb_column]
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