Clay Detlefsen

I came to the National Milk Producers Federation (NMPF) just over three years ago to focus on the environmental issues, as well as the challenges and opportunities, that exist for the nation’s milk producers. One opportunity that caught my attention early on was water quality trading (WQT). To this day, I am still enamored with the concept.

As we continue looking for ways to reduce greenhouses gases and recover excess nutrients from manure and put them to use where they are beneficial, one frequently faces the conundrum of how to do it and do it right.

Water quality trading (WQT) was introduced in the 1960s, and it’s a great concept. Since its introduction, WQT has been tried approximately 60 times around the world, but mostly here in the United States.

In 2008, the dairy industry made a voluntary commitment to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 25% by 2020 – a lofty goal, to say the least. In fact, it is remarkable to think how far we have already come since 1944.

The FDA’s Mitigation Strategies to Protect Food Against Intentional Adulteration (the “food defense rule”) covers approximately 9,800 food facilities, including dairy plants.

Nutrient trading, also known as water quality trading (WQT), is a major issue for the U.S dairy industry, though many probably do not realize that yet.

A dozen dairy co-ops plus the National Milk Producers Federation and Dairy Management Inc. created a business entity to drive technological improvements and develop new product markets from manure.

Our nation's schools send 5 billion milk and juice cartons to landfills each year. Clearly, there is work to be done. Your company can specify cartons made of paperboard, and you can get involved in your child’s school recycling efforts.

Oil prices are falling, but you know they will increase eventually. Now is the time to investigate (and invest in) alternatives, like digesters, geothermal, solar and wind.

Nutrient trading allows a regulated entity to purchase credits from another source who can achieve nutrient reductions in a more cost-effective manner.