HERSHEY, Pa., June 29, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The Hershey Company
(NYSE: HSY), Land O'Lakes, Inc., and
the Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay have partnered to implement
on-farm best management practices to reduce greenhouse gas
emissions and help improve water quality in the Chesapeake Bay
watershed.
Initial funding for Sustainable Dairy PA comes from The Hershey
Company's $300,000 commitment to
support the Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay and Land O'Lakes in
helping install agricultural conservation practices on Land O'Lakes
member dairy farms. The partnership includes 119 Land O'Lakes
member-owners in Central
Pennsylvania that ship 50% or more of their milk supply to
Hershey.
The Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay will utilize Hershey's funds
to leverage additional grant funding to implement conservation
plans and innovative on-farm environmental practices. The solutions
range from riparian buffer plantings that reduce stream bank
erosion and improve habitat to animal waste storage systems and
other sustainable farming practices to support a reduction in
greenhouse gas emissions and water pollution.
"Leadership from corporations, like that of Hershey and Land
O'Lakes, is critical to restoring Pennsylvania's rivers and the
Chesapeake Bay, and reaching our climate goals. With so many
passionate businesses in our watershed, we hope this partnership
inspires others to take action towards a more sustainable future,"
shared Jenna Mitchell Beckett,
Pennsylvania State Director and Agriculture Program Director at the
Alliance for the Chesapeake
Bay.
The initiative has begun working with dairy farmers in
south-central Pennsylvania and is
actively building a list of their conservation needs that will
guide the program's priorities. In addition to working with the
initial 119 farms, the partnership has the potential to reach more
than 400 Land O'Lakes member farms supplying milk to Hershey as
funding and support grows.
"We recognize that global impact means teaming up with other
leading organizations like The Hershey Company and the Alliance for
the Chesapeake Bay, and we're excited to support this new
initiative," said Glenda Gehl, Land
O'Lakes Senior Director of Member Relations. "Through the Land
O'Lakes Dairy 2025 Commitment, we are committed to developing
measurable ways for our farmer-members to reduce their
environmental footprint in a manner that supports on-farm
profitability and meets the expectations of our customers and
consumers."
The initiative recognizes that dairy producers are important
players in helping improve water quality and mitigating climate
change and was established to provide dairy farmers with the
resources needed to improve their impact on the environment. This
allows farmers to produce quality farm products while contributing
to the health of the Bay, its tributaries, and the planet. The work
seeks to demonstrate that conservation and economic profit are
compatible, and high-quality milk produced on farms using clean
water and climate-smart practices provides a value-added premium in
the marketplace and addresses the growing demands of discerning
consumers.
"As we continue on our path to reduce our environmental
footprint and address climate change, we're excited to partner with
Land O'Lakes and the Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay to promote
best on-farm sustainable management practices in our dairy supply
chain," said Eric Boyle, Director of
Commodities Procurement at The Hershey Company. "Not only will this
initiative help Hershey to reduce our GHG footprint and improve
water quality in the Chesapeake Bay and other watersheds in the
region, it will also help to improve soil health and protect
biodiversity, and strengthen our connection to our dairy producers
who are so integral to the creation of Hershey's Milk
Chocolate."
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About The Hershey Company
The Hershey Company is headquartered in Hershey, Pa., and is an industry-leading
snacks company known for bringing goodness to the world through its
iconic brands, remarkable people and enduring commitment to help
children succeed. Hershey has approximately 17,000 employees around
the world who work every day to deliver delicious, quality
products. The company has more than 90 brands around the world that
drive more than $8.1 billion in
annual revenues, including such iconic brand names as Hershey's,
Reese's, Kit Kat®, Jolly Rancher, Ice Breakers, SkinnyPop, and
Pirate's Booty.
For more than 125 years, Hershey has been committed to operating
fairly, ethically and sustainably. Hershey founder, Milton Hershey, created the Milton Hershey
School in 1909 and since then the company has focused on helping
children succeed.
To learn more visit www.thehersheycompany.com.
About the Alliance for the Chesapeake
Bay
Headquartered in Annapolis,
MD, with offices in Lancaster,
PA, Washington, D.C., and
Richmond, VA, the Alliance
implements local programs that connect people to their local rivers
and streams. As individuals become directly involved in local
restoration efforts, our programs build resiliency among our
communities and landscapes to continually adapt to a changing
world.
In the last 50 years, the Alliance has:
- Planted over 1 million trees
- Installed over $10M in practices
to reduce polluted stormwater runoff
- Implemented over 764 acres of on-farm best management
practices
- Trained over 700 volunteer scientists to collect over 360,000
water quality data points
Visit allianceforthebay.org to learn more.
About Land O'Lakes, Inc.
Land O'Lakes, Inc., one of America's premier agribusiness and food
companies, is a member-owned cooperative with industry-leading
operations that span the spectrum from agricultural production to
consumer foods. With 2020 annual sales of $14 billion, Land O'Lakes is one of the nation's
largest cooperatives, ranking 219 on the Fortune 500. Building on a
legacy of more than 99 years of operation, Land O'Lakes today
operates some of the most respected brands in agribusiness and food
production including Land O'Lakes Dairy Foods, Purina Animal
Nutrition, WinField United and Truterra. The company does business
in all 50 states and more than 60 countries. Land O'Lakes, Inc.
corporate headquarters are located in Arden Hills, Minnesota.
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SOURCE The Hershey Company