June is National Dairy Month, and we can’t think of a better way to celebrate than to focus on the relationship between the corn and dairy industries! Did you know that dairy cattle consume 30% of dried distillers grains with solubles (DDGs), a co-product of the ethanol production process? In 2021, DDGs used 1,055 million bushels of corn.
The National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) engages with the dairy industry through the Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy, who recently hosted the 2022 Dairy Sustainability Alliance Spring Meeting in Oak Brook, Illinois. NCGA’s Market Development Manager Michael Granché attended the conference where participants discussed sustainability in a transitioning world away from COVID-19 restrictions, the FARM ES data model, the intersection between high tech and high touch, driving profits with purpose, global methane pledges and cultivating a culture of social responsibility.
“It was great to engage in such high-energy conversations around what sustainability means to the dairy industry. When you think about dairy and dairy products, they’re much closer to the consumer, so they’re really tapping into what culture means for the dairy industry and showing that both dairy production and dairy consumption are for everyone,” said Granché. “And now that it’s National Dairy Month, it’s a great time to celebrate all the hard work that goes into producing all the delicious dairy products we enjoy! So go ahead, ask for extra cheese on your burger, get the double scoop sundae, and wash it all down with a tall cold glass of chocolate milk... you know you want to!”
The Dairy Sustainability Alliance membership spans the dairy value chain, and it represents a diverse cross-section of more than 160 stakeholder companies and organizations who all want to be part of dairy’s sustainability journey.
Here are a few fun facts about our dairy friends:
- There are 93 million dairy cows in the U.S.
- 3% of U.S. corn exports are distributed to dairy
- Every $1 in exports of grain adds an additional $3.23 in business sales across the U.S.
You can learn more facts about corn and dairy here.
