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WORLD-CLASS LEADERSHIP | MEASURABLE PROGRESS | A BRIGHTER FUTURE

California

As the nation’s largest dairy producer since 1993,
California now produces nearly 1/5th of all the milkin the United States, nourishing consumers at home

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and around the world. Every product stamped with

the Real California Milk seal is made with wholesome
milk from the Golden State, where we believe in real

food made by real farm families who are focused on acleaner, more sustainable future. For California dairyfamilies, sustainability doesn’t mean just being goodenough – it means being the best and continuing alegacy of producing food that’s good for people andthe planet, now and for generations to come.

45%carbon footprint decline

1#California dairies’ carbon footprint has been shrinking for
decades – 45% over the past 50 years (1964-2014) – and is among
the smallest carbon footprint per gallon of milk produced in
the world. But dairy farmers aren’t resting on their laurels. They
continue to reduce climate emissions and today are morethan halfway to achieving a statewide goal of reducing manuremethane emissions an additional 40% by 2030.

Just how are dairy farmers reducing their carbon footprint? A key strategy
involves capturing methane produced by cow manure in a “digester” andconverting it into clean energy for vehicles, homes and businesses. Thisis a win-win for the environment, preventing methane from escaping
into the atmosphere while also displacing fossil fuels as an energy source.
As long as we have cows, consumers have access to an abundant clean
low-carbon, renewable, energy source.

California dairy digester development is booming – more than double from 2016.
The reduction of greenhouse gas emissions from these projects is estimated to be
more than 28 million metric tons of CO2-equivalent over the next 20 years. That’s equal
to the greenhouse gas emissions from more than 5.9 million passenger vehicles, or theCO2 emissions from electricity used by 4.7 million homes for a year.

California Dairy
DIGESTER DEVELOPMENT(as of fall 2019)

OperationIn34

evelopmenDtIn95

The methane captured in adigester from just one cow
annually can produce enoughtransportation fuel to drive a car
across the United States.

ansporte trattiv

fueliononcarb nega

In addition to producing wholesome milk, California cows will beable to produce 60 million gallons of fuel annually for heavy
duty freight trucks, replacing fossil fuel-based diesel withrenewable bio-diesel. What’s even more impressive, is that renewable
natural gas produced from dairy biogas is a carbon-negativetransportation fuel, earning a carbon intensity score of -255 fromthe California Air Resources Board. By comparison, the carbon
intensity score of an electric vehicle is 29, making dairy biofuel
nearly 10 times more effective at reducing carbon than evenelectric vehicles. In addition to filling up vehicles, dairy methane canbe used to create electricity for homes and communities. Methane
produced by just five cows can power one house for a year, whichmeans that California dairy farms have the potential topower thousands of homes across California annually.

-255
carbonintensityscore

1 year
5 cows can power one house for a year

Dairies are also turning to the warm California sun to power their farms.
More than 115 California dairy farms generate solar energy, reducing
their use of fossil fuel-based energy and producing more than 180 million kWhof energy annually, enough to meet the electricity needs of 30,000 homes.
In Tulare County – the nation’s largest dairy county – 25% of farms produce
solar energy, enough to offset the emissions of 17,000 cars.

88%
decrease in water use toproduce a unit of milk
The water footprint of a glass of California milk has been shrinking for decades– and not by just a little. The amount of water used to produce a unit of milk has
decreased more than 88% compared to 50 years ago. Water recycling iscommonplace on California dairies, with the same precious drop ofwater used up to four times on the farm. Clean water is used towash the milking parlor, equipment and to cool milk tanks. Thiswater is then recycled to wash cows and stored in a holding pond,
to be reused multiple times to flush manure from barn floors.
Water from the holding pond – rich with plant nutrients fromnatural dairy manure – is then used to fertilize feed crops forcows. This recycling process substantially reduces theamount of fresh water needed and reduces the need forsynthetic plant nutrients, further reducing the carbon footprint of dairy farms by avoiding some of the greenhousegas emissions associated with fertilizer production.
A growing number of California dairies are experimenting withdrip irrigation to grow feed crops for their cows – and results arepromising. Early-adopting dairy farmers are getting more crop per
drop, consistently using 47% less water while increasing crop
health and yields. In a three-year field study of more than 20 dairy
farmers, more than 3.1 billion gallons of water was saved – enoughto meet the annual water needs of 100,000 California residents.

irrigationin actionwater is delivered
right to theplant roots

cools
milk

cleanscows

cleansbarns

irrigates
fields

feeds
crops

The highest priority for
California dairy farmers is
the health, comfort andwell-being of the animals
entrusted to their care.

Cow care on California dairies is built upon the foundation of providing quality
nutrition, comfortable housing, professional veterinary care and routineemployee training.. Additionally, California dairies support standards and performancetransparency through the National Dairy Farmers Assuring Responsible Management(FARM) Program. Today, more than 98% of the U.S. milk supply comes from participating
farms. From the beginning, California has played a leading role in FARM, becoming thefirst state to adopt the program in 2010.
The FARM Program includes of best practices for every cow and calf
on the farm. Each dairy farm is assessed through an in-person, on-farmevaluation to ensure that program standards are being met, with annualindependent, third-party evaluations used to ensure program integrity.
For farms that don’t meet the standards, a mandatory corrective action
plan is issued. In the event issues are not resolved, the sale of milk to
FARM-certified processors is no longer allowed.

Cows are great at upcycling plant nutrients, as
they create nutritious food for humans. Common
on California dairies is the feeding of a total mixed
ration or TMR. This is a blend of different feedstuffs
necessary for optimal cow health and nutrition, which
can include alfalfa hay, corn, wheat and other grass-based
plants. Unique to California TMRs is the high percentage
of by-products included from the other diverse California
crops, such as almond hulls, citrus and tomato pulp,
culled carrots and other similar products that are not wanted
for human consumption but make healthy, nutritious feed forcattle. California dairies meet more than 40% of their cows’ feedneeds using these by-products, which contributes to overall cow
nutrition, and reduces the need to grow additional crops, thus saving
water, land, energy and emissions. This keeps 10 tons, or 570
garbage trucks, of unusable food by-products out of landfills every day.

Real California dairy products live up to the sustainability moniker. In addition to the environmental
gains made by California dairy farmers, consumers enjoy the nutrient-dense qualities of California
dairy to sustain the health and wellness of their families at an affordable price. Natural dairy milk
is rich in vitamin A, vitamin D, nine essential nutrients and high-quality protein. Recent researchshows that including dairy in the diet may reduce the risk of heart disease, increase bone mineraldensity and decrease the risk of diabetes.

NUTRIENT INFORMATIONBASED ON 1 CUP (8 OZ.)

LOW-FATMILKSOYALMOND COCONUTCALORIESPROTEIN
TOTAL FATCARBOHYDRATESCALCIUM*
PHOSPHORUS*POTASSIUM*
RIBOFLAVIN*VITAMIN B12*VITAMIN D*
COST PER SERVING**
COST PER (G) OF PROTEIN**

110
8g
2.5g
12g
30%
25%
10%
25%
20%
25%
$0.28
$0.04

110
8g
4.5g
9g
45%
25%
10%
30%
50%
30%
$0.43
$0.05

60
1g
2.5g
8g
45%
N/A
1%
30%
50%
25%
$0.42
$0.42

NATURALLY OCCURRING/NOT ADDED *% DAILY VALUE **2020 IRI
FOR FULL INFORMATION PLEASE VISIT: CALIFORNIADAIRYPRESSROOM.COM/BEVCOMPARE80<1g5g7g
45%
N/A
1%
N/A
50%
25%
$0.57
$0.57

Dairy Related

ECONOMIC ACTIVITY(2018)$57.7 Billion = 180,000 Jobs

$California dairy delivers much morethan an important food source – it also
creates jobs and economic activity inlocal communities throughout the GoldenState. In addition to helping consumers prosper
with access to affordable, nutrient-dense healthy foodchoices, the ripple effect of job tax revenue from California dairy
helps fund K-12 education, public transportation and local
health services. Dairy related economic activity in 2018 createdjobs throughout California, with the vast majority located in
California’s bountiful San Joaquin Valley.

99% Family-owned
and Operated
A healthy California dairy
community also keeps family
farmers thriving. Many ofthese families have raisedand cared for cows for
multiple generations.

@RealCaliforniaMilk

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@RealCalifMilk© 2020. THE CALIFORNIA MILK ADVISORY BOARD, AN INSTRUMENTALITY OF THE CALIFORNIADEPARTMENT OF FOOD AND AGRICULTURE, IS FUNDED BY THE STATE’S DAIRY FARM FAMILIES.
CS2003