Reaching Gen Z with Dairy’s Powerful Sustainability Story
National Agriculture Week (March 17-23, 2024) is a week where those in the American agriculture industry are highlighted for their crucial role in our economy and security of our nation. Here at The Dairy Alliance, we don’t need a week to celebrate our farmers... it’s a year-round occasion!
Sustainability is a hot topic with Gen Z students on college campuses and students are more interested than ever in knowing more about their food. Lucky for us, we have an amazing story to tell! Read on for examples of how the sustainability efforts of dairy farmers and our industry are shared with students.
Dietetic students at Clemson University visit the on-campus dairy farm, LaMaster Dairy Cattle Center.
On The Farm
Bringing students to visit a dairy farm is the very best way to showcase sustainability practices and allows them to see for themselves the dedication that dairy farmers have for both their animals and their land.
The Dairy Alliance’s Community Wellness team often hosts students who are studying to become Registered Dietitians (RDs), a profession that is often looked to for advice on what foods to eat and not eat. During these tours, we make sure facts are not only presented about dairy food nutrition but on sustainability efforts as an industry like the industry’s effort to become carbon neutral or better by 2050 through the Net Zero Initiative and examples of sustainability on the farm they visit. Students learn about the uniqueness of dairy farms and the many strategies our Southeast farmers use when it comes to manure management, water use, feed efficiency, genetics, and more!
Dr. Lauren Mayo, Research Assistant Professor, and Kim Brown, Dairy Assistant Coordinator, at the NC A&T Dairy Unit.
Virtual farm tours are also a great way to reach college students! The recent virtual farm tour held at North Carolina Agricultural & Technical State University hosted over 130 future and present RDs and their faculty live from all over the US.
Check out our Virtual Farm Tours.
In The Classroom
Our Community Wellness team members are often guest speakers and panelists in college classrooms presenting on topics that vary from dairy nutrition to their career path to the dairy industry. We intentionally share sustainability information in these presentations and get great feedback. After a presentation at Clemson University, students responded that they were surprised to learn “that the dairy industry contributes less than 2% of greenhouse gas emissions,” “how small of a portion that dairy farms contribute to greenhouse gas emissions,” and excitingly, “I was surprised to learn how fresh milk in stores is! I love drinking milk, and to know it only takes about 48 hours, on average, for the milk to get from the farm to grocery stores was really neat.”
In The Dining Hall
Many college and university students utilize campus dining halls. The Dairy Alliance has partnered with many Southeast campuses to implement projects that aim to improve trust in the hardworking dairy industry and thus the sale of milk.
Creative pilot projects like a make-your-own smoothie bowl bar and milk dispenser magnets with dairy messaging have shown promise. Take for instance this milk dispenser magnet found at a dining hall at the University of Louisville in Kentucky that shares sustainability information. Based on survey feedback, there was a 22% increase in the belief that dairy products are environmentally friendly.
Sarah Hester, MS, RD
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