According to the last year’s USDA Milk Production Report, the United States was home to 29,849 dairy farms and 9.4 million cows and 9 million replacement heifers in 2022. The US dairy industry contributes $753 billion annually to the US economy (IDFA, 2021). In order to maintain the large economic contribution of the dairy industry and to produce high quality food that consumers demand, the US dairy industry needs to focus on environmental, economic, and social sustainability.

Research on enhanced nutrition and management, with an emphasis on animal welfare and environmental sustainability, is paramount for long-term success of US dairy farms. The aim of this multistate research project NC-2042 is to provide integrated, collaborative research and outreach leading to adoption of dairy management strategies that improve the economic, environmental, and social sustainability of the dairy industry.

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 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 integrate data and technology to improve efficiency and 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, environmental, and social sustainability. As many members of this multistate research project dedicate a substantial proportion of their appointments to Extension programming, this holistic project directly impacts many stakeholders through high-impact outreach programs.