This study is the second phase of a three‐phase sustainability assessment of milk
production by Aurora Organic Dairy (AOD). AOD is a leading provider of private‐label
organic milk to retailers throughout the U.S., and operates five farms in Colorado and Texas
as well as a processing plant in Colorado. This study extended Phase I results to include a
second year of data on energy use and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions throughout the
milk production life cycle. It also added three new categories of environmental impact—
nutrient use, water use, and solid waste generation—based on their relevance to
agricultural production systems. Primary data from AOD were collected over the period of
April 2008 to March 2009, supplemented by existing literature, and used to benchmark
impacts in each of the five categories across the full milk production life cycle, from feed
and bedding production to final disposal. The functional unit of analysis was one gallon of
packaged fluid milk. In addition to these life‐cycle results, simplified environmental
performance indicators (EPIs) were developed to aid management in understanding the
environmental effects of operational decisions. Life‐cycle results per functional unit were:
68 MJ (energy consumption), 7.8 kg CO2 eq. (greenhouse gas emissions), 4.6 moles H+ eq.
(acidification potential), 2.5 g N eq. (eutrophication potential), 810 gallons (water
consumption), 12 gallons (water utilization), 160 g (direct municipal solid waste), and 160
g (indirect solid waste). The feed and bedding production life cycle stage was both a major
contributor to most impacts, and the stage with the highest data uncertainty. A set of
strategies for improvement were identified for each impact area.