The Hershey Co. recently partnered with Land O’Lakes, Inc., a Minnesota-based agribusiness and food company, and the Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay, an organization connecting people to their local rivers and streams, to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and improve water quality in the Chesapeake Bay watershed.
Hershey has committed $300,000 to help Land O’Lakes and the alliance install agricultural conservation practices on Land O’Lakes member dairy farms.
“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,” Eric Boyle, Hershey director of commodities procurement, said. “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.”
The partnership includes 119 Land O’Lakes member-owners in Central Pennsylvania that ship at least 50 percent of their milk supply to Hershey. The partnership is building a list of south-central Pennsylvania dairy farmers’ conservation needs. Over time, the partnership has the potential to reach more than 400 Land O’Lakes member farms supplying milk to Hershey.