Dairy took center stage in Washington D.C. last week, as members of AEM’s Dairy Leadership Group met with various folks to discuss the great advancements in dairy technologies and promote AEM’s soon-to-be-released Environmental Benefits of Modern Dairy Technologies study. The group met with several lawmakers, including U.S. Sen. John Boozman (R-Ark.) and U.S. Reps. Jim Costa (D-Calif.), Glenn “GT” Thompson (R-Penn.), and David Valadao (R-Calif.).  

The group also met with USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service Chief Terry Cosby, White House Senior Economic Policy staff, as well as folks from the National Milk Producers Federation. 

Dairy is a vital part of the U.S. economy, contributing up to 3.5% to total GDP. The equipment manufacturing industry is supporting American agriculture in its efforts to do more with less, and technology is a key factor in a farmer’s ability to deliver a sustainable, reliable, and safe product. This was the message that the group delivered during their meetings on Sept. 13 -14.  

“It is important for us as manufacturers to come together and have these conversations to represent such an important and vital industry,” said Fernando Cuccioli of DeLaval and chair of the group. “We need to find ways to work together to and help the American farmer continue to be more productive in a sustainable way.” 

Following these meetings, the group is moving forward with their eyes toward the future on how it can build off of the great conversations and engagement that were had during these two days of meetings.

Moving into next year, with the 2023 Farm Bill on the agenda, the group sees a real chance to work with the folks in Washington, D.C. to put some things into place to help famers access some of these technologies. And all this work is being done with a keen focus on the smaller farms as well, and finding ways to support them.

AMS Galaxy’s Brad Biehl stated that, “Farm kids are an integral part of our workforce. With the number of small family dairy farms shrinking, we need to find ways to help those farms make their hands into the next generation, and dairy robotics and automation is a tool that can help do that.” 

In an effort to continue to tell the great story of the dairy industry, AEM has partnered with National Milk Producers Federation and Dairy Farmers of America to put together a study focusing on the environmental benefits gained realized on dairy farms as a result of equipment technologies, as well as forecast what other benefits we could see with increased adoption and continued innovation.

This study is scheduled to be released on Tuesday, Oct. 4 at the World Dairy Expo in Madison, Wisconsin. For more information on AEM's Dairy Leadership Group, contact AEM's Austin Gellings at agellings@aem.org.

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