GREEN BAY, Wis. — Grande Cheese Company, a Wisconsin-based manufacturer of fine Italian Cheeses and specialty whey and lactose products, announced a new partnership with the Farmers for Sustainable Food Climate-Smart Program today. Collaborating with these leading agricultural entities brings a farmer-led approach to environmental sustainability that generates industry data, information and on-farm best practice recommendations. The FSF Climate-Smart Program was made possible by the U.S. Department of Agriculture Partnerships for Climate-Smart Commodities award. It targets initiatives committed to data-driven conservation practices and outcomes, with the purpose of sharing best practices across the farming industry and communicating collective impact to consumers. The Grande project is the first processor-driven initiative incorporated into the FSF Climate-Smart Program. “Adding a processor-led project into the FSF program allows us to further collaborate within the full dairy supply chain,” said Tim Trotter, FSF CEO. “The Grande project, like all the projects built in the program, is designed to address concerns or challenges unique to the project members.” Grande Producer Partners (dairy farms) are encouraged to participate in the program, which comes at no cost to them, and depending on their level of participation, they receive a corresponding stipend. Farmers can receive up to $9,000 annually for program participation. “Through our ongoing membership and relationship with FSF, we have seen first-hand the organization’s impact on farmer-led groups through its sustainability framework. We are excited to offer this program to our producer partners. This program aligns with our Social Responsibility Pillars, particularly our environmental stewardship pillar, and our commitment to protecting the planet,” said Greg Siegenthaler, Grande’s Vice President of Milk Marketing, Sustainability and Strategic Sourcing. The FSF Climate-Smart Program is part of a nationwide program funded by USDA to provide three pillars: provide technical and financial assistance to producers to implement climate-smart production practices on a voluntary basis on working lands; pilot innovative and cost-effective methods for quantification, monitoring, reporting and verification of greenhouse gas benefits; and develop markets and promote the resulting climate-smart commodities. The Grande project is expected to run for the duration of the five-year program and will generate annual outcomes for the participating farmers after each cropping year.
