The Regen Dairy project has today announced the launch of a free online training course for farmers wanting to start a regenerative dairy journey.
The focus of this project, a collaboration led by FAI Farms and Farmwel and supported by a number of global food companies, is to engage dairy farmers and food businesses around a practical vision for a productive and profitable global dairy sector that also restores its relationship with nature, actively working to reverse global warming and biodiversity degradation.
Uniquely, the development of this new course has been farmer-led – a result of working with regenerative dairy farmers around the world to provide practical training that can easily be implemented on farm.
The course is designed for farmers who are curious about what regenerative agriculture means in the context of dairy farming. It draws on the personal experiences of many farmers to explain the basic principles of regenerative dairy farming with real-life examples of how to observe and measure change.
Commenting on the launch, Øistein Thorsen, CEO of FAI Farms, said, “We face two great crises in nature: global warming and biodiversity loss. We must urgently address agriculture’s impact, but we also have to produce diverse and nutritious food to nourish a growing global population. Regenerative agriculture can help restore the balance with nature and the Regen Dairy Project is working to clearly identify what successful regenerative dairy looks like from a farmers’ perspective.
“This project has enabled us to work closely with farmers around the world, understanding their journeys towards regenerative dairy. We thank all the farmers we have spoken to throughout this project who have shared their highs, lows, and importantly, practical advice for adopting regenerative principles on farm. These learnings have been critical in helping us design the farmer-led ‘introduction to regenerative dairy’ course, enabling farmers to be in the driving seat for the successful adoption of regenerative farming at scale.”
ffinlo Costain, former CEO of Farmwel said, “Regenerative agriculture is the key opportunity to rapidly address land use to mitigate and adapt to the climate crisis, restore nature and reinvigorate farm incomes and rural economies.
“The best way to mitigate dairy’s global warming impact is to take a whole-systems approach and reintegrate farming practices with nature. By focusing on soil health, biodiversity, carbon sequestration and storage and water management, the dairy sector will be able to continue to produce high quality nutrition and improve profitability.
“The Regen Dairy project was unique in its scope, learning from farmers from the USA, UK, Australasia, Africa and mainland Europe. We worked with the largest and smallest regenerative dairies in the world, and found that the principles of regen can work for dairy farmers everywhere.”
The free course is available online here
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