John Deere and DeLaval have today launched the Milk Sustainability Center, an innovative digital ecosystem designed to enhance the efficiency and sustainability of dairy farming operations. With the dairy industry facing evolving sustainability standards and stricter regulations, the Milk Sustainability Center can integrate data on crop and animal performance into one unified platform.

Developed through a joint effort initiated in September 2023, the Milk Sustainability Center data empowers farmers to optimise their operations, reduce their environmental impact, and continue to meet the growing demands for sustainable practices in dairy farming.

Dairy farmers can use the Milk Sustainability Center to monitor nutrient use efficiency and carbon dioxide equivalent across their farm, herd and fields. It collects animal and crop data, providing insights to help farmers manage nutrient utilisation effectively and reduce the need for manual data input. Farmers can also invite their consultants, dealers, vets and other partners to access the platform.

The Milk Sustainability Center is designed to serve dairy farmers regardless of the brand of farm machinery, milking equipment or herd management software. It is now available as a free version to a select number of dairy farmers in the USA, Netherlands, and Germany, with plans to expand to other European countries soon. Users will be added steadily before the full release. Dairy farmers in the UK and Ireland can join the waiting list at www.milksustainabilitycenter.com to be among the first to benefit.

The Milk Sustainability Center is a cloud-based solution accessible on both desktop and mobile devices. It is developed and powered by Dairy Data Warehouse BV (DDW), a Dutch company with 11 years of experience in providing data solutions for sustainable dairy farming.

Alexander Berges, Production System Manager at John Deere said: “The Milk Sustainability Center is designed to help dairy farmers meet their goals and address the growing demands from dairy processors, retailers, government, and consumers. The future addition of the benchmarking and recommendations functionality will help farmers be more profitable while improving their sustainability.”

Lars Bergmann, Executive Vice President of Digital Service at DeLaval, explains: “Dairy farming involves using multiple, unconnected software solutions. The Milk Sustainability Center links these different systems into one platform. This integration reduces the need for manual data entry and provides farmers with a comprehensive view of their farm’s sustainability. The tool helps identify where farmers can save money and improve their sustainability efforts by highlighting nutrient losses and offering recommendations for reduction.”

The Milk Sustainability Center welcomes partners to join its mission to provide farmers with the comprehensive data and insights needed for a holistic view of the efficiency and sustainability in their dairy operations. For more information, potential partners can contact inquiries@milksustainabilitycenter.com