Environmental Initiatives

From reducing fuel and energy usage to installing state-of-the-art water treatment facilities at most of our plants, to environmentally-friendly farming practices, Foremost Farms is committed to protecting our air, our water and our world.

On the roads

In 2006, we began the process of realigning milk hauler routes throughout our procurement area, to reduce the number of milk trucks rolling down each rural road. This saves fuel and reduces emissions. Now we’re entering Phase II, working with other cooperatives to further improve milk route efficiencies.

In our plants

We’ve invested millions on equipment upgrades to increase efficiency, reduce energy use, cut emissions, clean our water and re-use resources. With grant dollars from "Focus on Energy," we launched initiatives that reduced natural gas usage at our Sparta, Plover and Rothschild plants. At Sparta, we’re capturing the heat exhaust from the ingredient dryer and using it to raise the temperature of the air coming into the dryer. This lowers total natural gas usage significantly. We completed a similar project at the Plover plant. And at our Rothschild facility, we’re studying whether we can produce methane from permeate residue.

On our farms

As stewards of the land, our farmer-members work aggressively to preserve our natural resources. We support research and regulatory programs to control and reduce pollution, as well as proactive environmental education programs.