The Rising Challenge of Dairy Greenhouse Gas Emissions
he abundance of milk, cheese, and egg on our kitchen tables are inseparable from the rise of large feed-grain-dependent dairies. In today’s global dairy industry, giant dairy farms are displacing smaller farms and increasing methane emissions. China’s rapid dairy expansion, alongside major players like the EU, US, and New Zealand, also raises environmental concerns. What can government regulators and stakeholders do […]
Economics of direct and indirect approaches to reduce methane
Dairy farmers are increasingly challenged by consumers, processors, and regulators to reduce the carbon footprint of dairy farming. Targets to reduce enteric methane emissions (carbon footprint) are typically in the order of 25-30%, prompting milk producers to seek strategies for reducing their herds’ methane emissions while maintaining an acceptable level of profitability. With these challenges […]
Feed experiment aims to reduce impact of dairy cow burps
A pivotal experiment to address the impact of livestock on climate change is taking place in our backyard, as a farm in the North Bay gets closer to becoming carbon neutral. Scientists and farmers are working together to reduce the harmful gasses cows produce. When cows munch for lunch, the amount of methane emitted – primarily […]
Cornell, EDF aim to reduce methane output for India’s dairies
Cornell will assist the Environmental Defense Fund and the National Dairy Development Board of India – the world’s largest dairy producing country – in a project to help its smallholder farmers reduce methane output and produce milk efficiently. “Enteric methane production from the digestive systems of cows and buffaloes is a major source of global […]
Complexity of Measuring and reducing emissions in dairy industry Bydairynew
Despite differences in farming systems, the carbon footprint of dairy products is similar among the major exporting regions, and most greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions originate on the farm in the form of methane, according to a new report from Rabobank, outlining some of the reduction strategies available, including those left untapped. ON-FARM EMISSIONS At the […]
Decarbonising India: Agriculture is one of the largest emitter of GHG
India’s transition to a net-zero economy by 2070 depends on the decarbonisation path it takes. A recent study by consulting firm McKinsey & Co says decarbonising could help India save a cumulative USD1.7 trillion in forex on energy imports by 2070. Besides, an orderly transition could turn the country into a manufacturing and R&D hub for clean technologies such […]
Less burping, more meat and milk: How to tackle the climate crisis
Africa’s livestock farmers are at the forefront of climate change. Images of parched landscapes littered with the carcasses of starved cattle are becoming all too familiar as droughts increase in frequency and severity. But cattle farming globally is also one of the causes of climate change. The world’s three billion or more ruminants – cattle, […]
New Zealand’s plan to tax cow and sheep burps-FAQs
New Zealand has a strange problem at hand – burping livestock. For a rather unusual issue, it has an unusual solution. The country has unveiled a plan to tax sheep and cattle burps. Why is New Zealand taxing burps? When these animals burp, they release methane. And the plan has been put into place to […]
A dairy farm in Trenton in USA is turning cow poop into profits
According to the USDA, dairy cows can produce 80 pounds of manure per day. Jan Henderson grew up in a farming household. “My grandfather was a dairy farmer in Western New York. My dad was a dairy farmer in Western New York. We moved to Florida and relocated our dairy farm in 1986,” she said. […]
How drones can help dairy farms manage methane emissions
Accurate atmospheric measurements directly over their farm can help farmers fight climate change Dairy farms produce large amounts of two things: milk and poop. Milk finds its way into delicacies like hot cocoa and grilled cheese sandwiches but the poop just piles up. Dairy farmers bulldoze the mess into artificial ponds called manure lagoons, where […]