According to the last national census (USDA, 2014), the United States was home to 64,098 dairy farms and 9.25 million cows in 2012. However, in 1997 there were 125,041 dairy farms and 9.14 million cows. While the number of cows in the United States has been fairly constant, more than 4,000 dairy farms per year left the industry during the 15-year period. The decreasing number of dairy farms clearly reflects the challenges dairy farmers have in sustaining and improving their businesses.

The profitability and economic sustainability of dairy farming depends on efficient management practices. Thus, research on maximizing profitability, while ensuring animal welfare and environmental sustainability, is paramount for long-term success of the milking and growing replacements farming systems.The aim of thismultistate research project NC-2042 is to provide holistic collaborative research leading to dairy management strategies and systems that facilitate increased economic and environmental sustainability of milking cow and growing calf and heiferenterprises. 

Dairy farming systems are diverse throughout the country, and range from confined housing to grazing systems, conventional to organic systems, and human-operated to automated systems. In light of this diversity, and knowing dairying is a multifactorial business, no single land grant experiment station has the resources to evaluate all the different factors affecting dairy profitability and sustainability. As a means to synergize research and outreach efforts, the multistate research project NC-2042 has been crucial to providing multiple actions to optimize calf and heifer performance (Objective 1), to improve dairy cow management (Objective 2), and providing decision-support tools and educational programsto improve efficiency, enhance profitability, and ensure environmental sustainability (Objective 3) in dairy farming systems.

Outcomes from these collaborative efforts have provided, and will continue to provide, dairy farmers utilizing different farming systems with the necessary knowledge and tools to help ensure economic, social, and environmental sustainability.As many members of this multistate research project dedicate a substantial proportion of their appointments to extension programing, this holistic project directly impacts many stakeholders through quick and efficient outreach programs.