A Message From Our CEO

Many companies work on improving sustainability because they see it as critical to their social license to operate. While we agree that is important, it doesn’t describe the primary motivation behind our Cooperative Social Responsibility (CSR) efforts at Darigold. First and foremost, we pursue sustainable practices because it’s simply the right thing to do. CSR is core to our values and heritage. We pursue CSR because we care.

For over 100 years, our producers have been providing high quality nutrition for customers, stewarding the land to pass on to their children and grandchildren, and contributing to the communities in which they live and work. Our producer-owners, customers and employees care deeply about our impact. Our goal is to operate in a way that leaves the world and the people we touch in a better state.

We live in a world of change. The dairy industry is highly innovative. We are leaps and bounds beyond the days of our grandparents’ dairy farms. Both the farms and the processing we do are dramatically more sustainable than we were even 10 years ago, let alone 70 years ago.

Massive technological changes in farming, milking and processing; societal changes; advances in animal care, herd management and veterinary science; expanded knowledge about health and nutrition; shifts in the regional, national and global markets for dairy products; and changing corporate customer and consumer demands – all characterize the business environment in which we operate today.

Productivity improvement is part of it. We constantly seek ways to improve milk quality and productivity, reduce our energy and water consumption, and lessen our carbon footprint. As any company, we have shortcomings, but our commitment to moving forward with a focus on innovation and sustainability is strong and permanent.

The opportunity to do the right thing to bring high quality nutrition to our neighbors and to the world drives everything we do.

Our organizational commitment to continuous improvement on multiple dimensions drives what we do. At Darigold, we are committed to food quality and food safety. We do the right thing as we bring high quality nutrition to our neighbors and to the world. Darigold is equally committed to the safety, health and welfare of our employees in our plants and offices.

The Northwest Dairy Association helps producers with their labor practices by providing educational resources and tools for SOPs (standard operating procedures) and training. Our producers are committed to providing safe working conditions for both their family members and farm employees. Fortunately, continuous improvement and sustainability also make us more competitive and enable us to more effectively meet customer demands and regulatory requirements.

In the end, the people of Darigold and the NDA care about values and social responsibility. For generations, this core fabric of responsibility has run deep in what we do. Our member-owners care about their animals, about their environment, about building their family legacy and participating in their communities. Our members often hold the same land within their family from generation to generation. Member-owners operate every day with sustainability in mind, investing in the land and in their dairy business for their children.

Hand-in-hand with those in our processing and marketing operations who are also committed to a legacy of quality and sustainability – that is Darigold’s CSR story. We do the right thing based on our ongoing commitment to the values that have guided us for nearly a century – and are guiding us now into the future.

Stan Ryan