Farmer Q&A: P2DNZ Shows Me What I Can Do to Achieve Dairy Net Zero

Dairy farming takes hard work and focus, and from that vantage, it can be difficult to see the greater impact of one business on the global effort to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.

Gina Gutierrez is proof that every organization can contribute to the dairy sustainability journey and also receive information to improve operations on the farm.

Gutierrez, a fifth-generation dairy farmer in Mexico, says that joining the Pathways to Dairy Net Zero initiative (P2DNZ) showed her what she is already doing well and what she can do more of to achieve net-zero GHG emissions.

We connected with Gutierrez to learn about how P2DNZ is providing insights and solutions to help her overcome her farm’s challenges and accelerate climate action throughout the dairy industry.

Q: What are the biggest challenges facing your business?

A: Weather has always been a challenge. We work with live capital, so we depend on living beings — our cows get affected by everything, just like us humans do. So, whether it rains a lot or not enough, it’s always a worry. Is it cold? It is too hot?

Climate is not the same as it was decades ago. You see patterns change, and you need to adapt — work with what you have in the moment in the best way you can, whether it’s resources, your time, information, knowledge and every piece of tool and technology that is available.

We’re also subject to politics and policies — ever-changing rules and new norms and new requests from the public sector and the private sector, and we really need to work close with those organizations to achieve our common goals, because we all want the same thing.

It’s an ongoing process of learning, knowledge transfer and thinking as a collective group and not just individually. We have that commitment.

Q: Why did you join the Pathways to Dairy Net Zero initiative?

A: Even though dairy farmers have been working on improving our operations and our practices and really being better to feed a growing population with less impact to the environment and natural resources, we need to demonstrate it. I thought Pathways to Dairy Net Zero was a great way to demonstrate that we were already doing something and that we keep improving — not just improving our efficiency and productivity but also improving the lives of people and the livelihoods of communities around the world, and contributing to lower emissions, doing the best job we can, so that other sectors that really need to catch up have time to catch up.

Q: What are the main ways that P2DNZ has helped you and your business?

A: There are a lot of things that we were doing already, but how do you work on improving them and showing other people? Pathways to Dairy Net Zero has helped us to have, like the title says, a pathway — an order, a better structure, a better understanding of the many things that dairy farmers can do to really achieve dairy net zero.

There are certain things that a farmer can adapt to and adopt in their practices, no matter how big or small they are, no matter the number of cows they have. There are ways to really add up to the improvements we want to make and the goals we want to achieve.

It’s not just a single road that we need to follow. It’s a multi-layered project. Really, it is a pathway, not just a rule book for what you need to do. I really like that part of this initiative.

Q: In what ways are you contributing to the P2DNZ community?

A: The biggest contribution from my farm is leading by example. We may not be the farm that has everything, but we have been working on several actions laid down in the P2DNZ plan for more than a decade:

Animal welfare has always been our top priority, and that’s key in helping sustainability. Healthy cows produce more milk, and that means more nutrition and more jobs with less emissions.
We’re always looking to improve our cows’ feed and manure management — using it as fertilizer and bedding material — as well as water management and recycling.
It’s been almost 10 years since we installed solar panels, which is an alternative and credible reduction project, and we have had solar water heaters for more than 15 years.
We’re about to complete an LCA [life cycle assessment] to know where we are at and start measuring. My brother is an agronomist and works on keeping the health of the soil and implementing practices that sequestrate carbon.

Our other major contribution is to be ambassadors for this initiative. We were the first farm in our co-op to sign the declaration. I am talking to the other farmers and encouraging them to join P2DNZ. I also promote this initiative wherever I go. I’ve been invited to conferences, where I share about P2DNZ. I’m active on social media, so I take advantage of that and share P2DNZ posts to create awareness.

Q: What does achieving dairy net zero mean to you?

A: We make a lot of great contributions to society, and we have for centuries: nutrition, community development, environment. Achieving dairy net zero means really taking it to the next level. It’s moving forward and working within a space of excellency.

Q: What would you say to a farmer who is not sure about joining Pathways to Dairy Net Zero?

A: There is so much good that they are already doing that they don’t realize, and that by joining Pathways to Dairy Net Zero they’re joining a global community of dairy farmers like themselves, of every shape and size, in supporting the dairy community globally, so that we can not only survive but thrive. There’s nothing they can’t do or that they aren’t already doing that would be a problem entering this initiative.

Dairy nourishes 6 billion consumers daily, and behind the glass of milk there are a billion people who are working in the dairy sector and depending on the dairy community. To those people who are hesitating to join, I would say, what are you waiting for? Join us, and together we can help nourish all those people and help our community.

Join Farmers Like Gina Gutierrez in Partnering with P2DNZ

Ready to take the next step in your sustainability journey? Join Gina Gutierrez’s farm and hundreds of other organizations in partnering with P2DNZ as we continue working to create a more sustainable future for us all. Simply sign the Pathways to Dairy Net Zero Declaration and we’ll be in touch.

Q: What are the biggest challenges facing your business?

Q: Why did you join the Pathways to Dairy Net Zero initiative?

Q: What are the main ways that P2DNZ has helped you and your business?

Q: In what ways are you contributing to the P2DNZ community?

Q: What does achieving dairy net zero mean to you?

Q: What would you say to a farmer who is not sure about joining Pathways to Dairy Net Zero?

Join Farmers Like Gina Gutierrez in Partnering with P2DNZ

SUBSCRIBE TO LEARN MORE.

Show your support for Pathways to Dairy Net Zero.Be part of this growing movement!

Share this page

SUBSCRIBE TO LEARN MORE.

Show your support for Pathways to Dairy Net Zero.
Be part of this growing movement!