Measuring sustainability is an important first step but knowing where a dairy farm stands is only part of the challenge. The bigger question is “what should a dairy farmer do with this info?”

The first set of recommendations features have recently been added to the MSC tool. Designed to help farmers move from sustainability insights to a clear list of actions to improve sustainability, profitability, and nutrient use on their farm.

Rather than simply showing where a farm is performing well or where there may be opportunities for improvement, the new recommendations help farmers identify which actions deserve attention first, based on their own farm data.

There may be dozens of potential areas for improvement, each requiring different levels of investment and time. and management effort. This is where prioritization becomes important, and the new features show farmers which efforts would be more of a quick win to a long-term investment.

The recommendations features explained

MSC recommendations bring together established best practices and translate them into a structured list of potential actions. The recommendations are then connected to the farm’s own data. Thus, ensuring that the recommendations are relevant to the individual farm. The result is a more practical approach: less time asking what could be improved, and more focus on acting.

Not every improvement opportunity has the same potential impact, and not every action requires the same level of effort. The recommendations help farmers navigate these choices through three categories:

Top Picks highlight the recommendations with the highest farm-specific potential

Quick Wins identify actions that are relatively easy to implement

Long-Term Investments highlight more complex actions that may deliver benefits over a longer period.

This allows sustainability to become a step-by-step process rather than an overwhelming list of things that could potentially be changed.

One of the most important aspects of MSC recommendations is that the recommendations are not simply generic advice. Each recommendation is linked to specific KPIs calculated using the individual farm data. When a KPI falls outside its normal range in an unfavorable direction, it can trigger a recommendation and increase its farm-specific potential. This creates a more targeted approach to sustainability, one that considers the farm’s own situation rather than applying the same priorities everywhere.

Understanding the “why” behind a recommendation

Identifying an action is only useful if farmers understand what it means and how it could help. Each recommendation therefore includes a deeper explanation covering what the recommendation means, why it could benefit the farm, its potential sustainability benefits, the effort required, and practical actions.

Recommendations are also scored according to three key dimensions: sustainability impact, profitability potential, and implementation effort. This helps farmers understand the potential trade-offs involved in different actions.

By connecting recommendations to real farm data, farmers can focus on farm specific improvements with the greatest potential impact, understand the relationship between effort and return, and take a more step-by-step approach to improving their farm’s efficiency, sustainability and profitability.

Improving efficiency and sustainability moving forward

The recommendations can support actions that contribute to reducing methane, nitrous oxide, and carbon emissions, while also improving nutrient use efficiency (NUE).

Importantly, MSC recommendations are designed to provide insight, and direction does not replace the expertise of a farmer’s advisor. Practical implementation still needs to consider the specific farm, local conditions, available resources, and management priorities. Advisors remain essential when translating a recommendation into a detailed farm plan.

You can find more info on the dedicated recommendations page.