Dairy Sustainability

Learn how Australian dairy farmers are working towards a more sustainable future.

Farming for the future

Dairy farmers are deeply committed to the environment. Here, we’ll explore the everyday practices helping to protect Australia’s soils, water, biodiversity and future, one farm at a time.

Dairy farmers are committed to managing land and water responsibly, reducing greenhouse gases and protecting Australia’s natural resources for future generations.

Agricultural practices have significantly altered the Australian landscape over the last 200 years. Large areas of forests and open grasslands have been converted to farmland, new plants and animals have been introduced and water and land use patterns have changed. This has resulted in a range of impacts on soils, water quality and biodiversity.

Today’s farmers have a far greater understanding of these impacts than their predecessors 200 years ago. They are constantly finding new, more efficient and environmentally friendly ways to manage their land, animals and businesses, in order to prevent further degradation and to reverse damage caused by previous practices.

The biggest environmental focuses for dairy farmers are:

soil health and nutrient balance
efficient use of water
protecting waterways
reducing energy use and greenhouse gases
managing areas for biodiversity.

Farmers use a range of actions to manage environmental concerns on the farm. These can include:

planting shelter belts of trees and other vegetation to provide shelter to livestock and habitats for native animals, birds and insects
revegetating riverbanks and paddocks to reduce soil erosion, runoff and salinity
testing soil for nutrient levels before applying fertilisers, to ensure they only use as much as they need
measuring soil moisture to determine the level of irrigation required and matching irrigation to the requirement of plants
crop and herd grazing rotation to give paddocks time to rest and recover
fencing off waterways to stop animals from damaging riverbanks and reducing water quality
ensuring cows are well-fed to reduce methane emissions
diverting water from the milking shed, which can often contain animal waste, into separate settling ponds where it can be processed and eventually recycled to irrigate and fertilise paddocks
using renewable energy sources such as solar or wind power
reducing energy use in the milking shed by replacing old equipment and parts such as water cooling and hot water systems with more energy-efficient ones that use off-peak timers
designing thermal-efficient dairies that keep out, or in, unwanted heat or cold and reduce electricity use.

By combining traditional knowledge with innovation, Australia’s dairy farmers are leading the way in sustainable agriculture.

Sustainability on farms

Environmental sustainability
Working with nature

See how Australian dairy farmers are protecting the environment by adopting smarter, more sustainable ways to manage their land, animals and businesses. From water and soil care to energy efficiency, these practices are shaping healthier farms and a stronger future.

Time to get crafty with milk bottles

Discover creative ways to upcycle leftover milk bottles—fun, sustainable and full of possibilities.

You will need:

washed milk bottles
a marker
scissors or a Stanley knife

Instructions

Step 1: Clean your milk bottles thoroughly.

Step 2: Using your marker, draw the lines you need to cut out to make the shovels.

Step 3: With your scissors cut along the line and remove the excess.

Step 4: These shovels are ready to use. They are great to have at the beach, in the garden or bath.

*These shovels and scoops were designed and crafted by Zara’s Play Tribe.

You will need:

empty milk cartons
geometric print paper
scissors
glue
small flowering plant

Instructions

Step 1: Rinse and dry the empty milk containers.

Step 2: Wrap the printed paper around the outside of the milk carton. Secure with glue.

Step 3: Trim the carton to the size that you would like with scissors.

Step 4: Plant your seedlings or small plants into the container!

Notes: you don’t have to use a geometric design for the outside of your planters. You could design your own pattern, recycle some wrapping paper or even draw your own picture. You could even try attaching some pom poms, buttons, ribbon or other embellishments to decorate your planters.

*These flower planters were designed and crafted by Cinta and Co.

You will need:

2 x washed milk bottles (the 2L variety works best!)
craft supplies
scissors or a Stanley knife

Instructions

Step 1: Clean your milk bottles thoroughly.

Step 2: Decorate the milk bottles. You can use anything from stickers, textas, paint or paste on paper to create a fun final design.

Step 3: Once the decorations have dried, using a Stanley knife or scissors, cut a rectangle in the face of the milk bottle. (Tip: tracing the label helps to get straight lines.)

Step 4: Slide your feet in and get dancing!

*These milk bottle shoes were designed and crafted by Zara’s Play Tribe.

You will need:

clean and dry milk bottles or cartons
Stanley knife
paint and stickers

Instructions

Step 1: Clean your milk bottles thoroughly.

Step 2: Determine the type of village you would like to create (i.e. fairy houses, fire station, schools, doll houses).

Step 3: Using a marker, draw windows and doors onto your milk bottles.

Step 4: Use your Stanley knife to cut out the shapes.

Step 5: Now it's time to decorate, using paint and stickers add features to your crafts to bring them to life.

Step 6. Pair your favourite figurines for a great small world set up.

*These milk bottle villages were designed and crafted by Zara’s Play Tribe.

Small bird houses milk cartons.jpg

You will need:

empty milk cartons
acrylic paint
paint brush
scissors
bamboo skewers
marker pen
pom poms
googly eyes
glue
peg
small wooden blocks (optional)

Instructions

Step 1: Rinse and dry the empty milk containers.

Step 2: Paint the outside of the cartons with acrylic paint. Allow the paint to dry completely.

Step 3: Cut a hole in the front of the cartons with scissors and press through a skewer to make the perch.

Step 4: Decorate your bird house with the marker pen.

Step 5: Glue some googly eyes onto the pom poms to make the birds.

Step 6: Glue the pom poms to a peg and then peg the birds to their little perches. Notes: you don’t need to make your own pom poms as we did. You can use a pre-made one – they’ll be just as cute! We also made some little block towers to balance our aviaries on. This was a fun STEAM extension, that allowed us to practice balance and engineering. This step is fun but not essential to the way that you play with the aviaries.