Source: POLITICO'S MORNING AGRICULTURE, 3/3/20

Horizon Organic, one of the largest USDA-certified organic dairy brands, today became the first in the industry to commit to a carbon-positive supply chain — eliminating more carbon than it emits — within the next five years.

The Danone-owned company said it will achieve its goal with four pillars: investing an initial $15 million for grants and loans to its 600 dairy producers to equip them with the training and technology to adopt more sustainable practices; optimizing the energy and fuel used on farms; enhancing soil health so it sequesters more carbon and prevents fertilizer runoff; and exploring animal feed additives that cut cow's methane emissions.

Measuring progress: Horizon said a life-cycle assessment, which is being reviewed by a third-party, is nearly finished. The company is also partnering with the consultant firm EcoPractices on a sustainability analysis, and will work with The Carbon Trust to certify products that are carbon neutral, including half-gallons of whole milk by the end of 2021.

"We applaud their ambition to achieve carbon neutrality and go beyond toward carbon positive, removing more carbon than they emit," Hugh Jones, The Carbon Trust's managing director of business services, said in a statement.

Carbon offsets: While the company will prioritize reducing its carbon footprint, particularly via improving soil health, Horizon also intends to create projects that generate offsets, such as restoring prairie and forestlands.