LA FARGE, WIS. - CROPP Cooperative brand Organic Valley has promoted Nicole Rakobitsch to director of sustainability, launching a new centralized department. While dairy faces questions around climate change and the impact of animal agriculture, Rakobitsch leads projects to improve the sustainability of organic family farms. 

As Organic Valley's new director of sustainability, Rakobitsch will lead a team of professionals and integrate experts from across the cooperative and broader organic industry. Previously she has championed projects like a unique life cycle assessment (LCA), which tracks the impact of scope-3 emissions on Organic Valley farms in each region of the US, providing a glimpse into the environmental impact of and solutions for family farms. 

"In 2019, CROPP reached its ambitious goal to be powered with 100% renewable electricity in our owned facilities,” Rakobitsch said. “As an organic farming cooperative rooted in environmental stewardship and continuous improvement, we recognized that we could not stop there. We know that our impact goes beyond our facilities and includes our farmers, our plant partners, hauling, transportation, retail, and our consumers."