Farmer Q&A: Thanks to P2DNZ, I Know the World Is Working with Me on Climate Action

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.

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

Leonard, a dairy farmer in New Zealand, 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 Leonard 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: The challenge is we know that we’ve got issues, we’ve got things that we need to change, and it’s a matter of how we are going to change and the rate of that change. It’s relying on experts around the world who are providing us with information and enabling us to make that change.

I think the public perception is that dairy is a large polluter. We’re starting to see some different statistics coming out, that dairy globally is actually only responsible for 2% of emissions, and the public perception might be starting to change as far as understanding the nutritional value of dairy. But we still need to lift our weight in our area to keep that social license to operate.

While we might be part of the problem, I think we’re part of the solution as well.

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

A: It’s part of the solution. It helps to give me some of the tools that I can put into my toolbox to make positive change and positive decisions on-farm.

Pathways to Dairy Net Zero gives me the opportunity to hear from other farmers as far as what’s going on around the world. I don’t want to work in a silo; I want to hear from other farmers what’s working well for them. We can research as much as we want, but to be part of a global perspective, you hear what other people are doing around the world and the direction of travel, and it helps you to make decisions back home.

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

A: I was lucky enough to get up to Chicago for the International Dairy Federation’s World Dairy Summit, and one of the biggest unlocks for me was that part of the solution, as dairy farmers, is with what we’re doing already, what tools we have already. So, it’s around highlighting those tools.

The more efficient that we can become, the better that we can be environmentally — which, of course, makes sense, but sometimes, when you get stuck in the weeds of your day-to-day business, you need to be able to pop your head up and listen to what other opportunities there are.

I think, too, knowing that the world is working on solutions to help us with methane has really helped, because sometimes, if something seems too hard, you just put it to the side rather than dealing with it, whereas I feel that now we’ve been given some bite-size chunks of information, it gives you the ability to feel more positive about dairy, that we are part of the solution and moving forward.

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

A: We’ve just had our emissions targets announced by Fonterra, our cooperative here in New Zealand. It’s really nice to be going to those meetings with fellow farmers, being in those conversations, and seeing it’s not all doom and gloom.

We’re actually part of the solution team. It’s giving me the tools, having effectual science-based information that I’m able to share with fellow farmers of what we can do.

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

A: In New Zealand, we have a term called kaitiaki, which is the caretakers for the land. Part of my role as kaitiaki is to leave our land in a better situation than how I found it. I would like to see our farm and our family for the generations to come — my daughters, their children, their children, their children. Net zero is enabling me the tools to be able to pass that gift on and to encourage the gift to continue in that direction.

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

A: The farmers that I speak to are very muchly the same. They care about their animals, they care about their land and they want to leave it better than how they found it. And that’s really what this project is about: leaving your land and leaving your animals and leaving your business in a better way than what it started. I think that’s what we all get up every day to do.

If the word sustainability is keeping you on the fence, perhaps change the terminology. If you frame it as efficiency and see the opportunities that you can gain for your farm, it can only be a move in the right direction.

If we all see dairy farming as part of the solution, it’s a more positive mindset. If we as farmers can see this as making sure that our businesses are endurable for the long term, it puts a really different lens over things. If it’s framed that way, it might just help people to get on board.

Join Farmers Like Kylie Leonard in Partnering with P2DNZ

Ready to take the next step in your sustainability journey? Join Kylie Leonard’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 Kylie Leonard in Partnering with P2DNZ

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Be part of this growing movement!