Measurement for better management

ATHENS, Wis. — Dairy farming in the 21st century can be complex, and understanding what it means to be sustainable, and how to achieve it, is paramount.

Farmers knowing their carbon footprint number and understanding carbon credits to capitalize on sustainability efforts were explained at the Professional Dairy Producers’ “Carbon, Crops and Cows” workshop Nov. 12 at Miltrim Farms Inc., near Athens.

“For years we have been hearing from our European counterparts about how sustainable they are because they have a carbon footprint number,” said Shelly Mayer, executive director of PDP. “The U.S. dairy farmer is leaps and bounds ahead — the most sustainable — but we need to know that number to be able to make that claim. If you can’t measure it, you can’t manage it.”

In response to the global drive towards sustainability, Mayer shared that PDP has developed Your Farm — Your Footprint, a farmer-led sustainability initiative aimed at empowering dairy producers to understand their environmental footprint and assist them in implementing solutions to help shape the future of their farm.

Lead agronomist Carson Dugger and technical services manager Courtney Titus of Eocene Environmental Group explained how dairy farmers understanding the science and learning their farm’s carbon footprint number can create opportunities for their dairy.

“We’re looking at what we can control and manage to start to reduce those scores,” Titus said.

Dugger explained there are multiple ways to measure carbon impact on a farm. The farm’s carbon footprint can be calculated by determining the amount of greenhouse gas emissions released into the atmosphere through activities on the farm. Carbon intensity is measured by the amount of carbon created per unit of production.

“The carbon footprint reflects more long-term change,” Dugger said. “Carbon intensity is easy to impact on-farm by increasing efficiency, doing more with less. Ultimately, we’re looking at greenhouse gas emissions, and if we have less total GHG emissions per product, our carbon intensity score decreases.”

Both carbon and nitrogen cycles play a role in how greenhouse gases are emitted into the atmosphere. Understanding both can improve carbon management on the farm, Dugger said.

The three main greenhouse gases that typically result from dairy production are methane, nitrous oxide and carbon dioxide.

“Methane is one we hear a lot about, with enteric emissions that dairy and beef get a pretty bad rap for,” Dugger said. “Methane is considered short-lived in the atmosphere because over time it degrades down into carbon dioxide and eventually goes back into the soil.”

Conversely, Dugger said nitrous oxide is worse because it is longer lived in the atmosphere and has greater potential for global warming.

During the photosynthesis process, plants remove carbon dioxide from the air, turning it into plant material. The amount of carbon captured in the soil through carbon sequestration versus the amount released back into the air plays a role in determining the carbon footprint.

Soil organic carbon is the most stable form of carbon. It is beneficial not only to the soil, but to the farm’s overall carbon footprint.

To determine a farm’s carbon footprint score, Titus said emissions are considered from “cradle to farm gate,” meaning that once the product leaves the farm, further transportation and processing for that product are not included in the farm’s carbon footprint.

“The scope is what you’re trying to measure,” Titus said. “While the boundary is looking at where is this emission happening and what is its impact.”

Emissions used to develop a carbon footprint score are categorized as Scope 1, which are direct emissions,  and Scope 2 and 3, which are indirect emissions created by either upstream or downstream activities.

Scope 1 emissions include fuel usage and enteric methane emissions.

Determining a farm’s carbon footprint involves the collection and analysis of data, which is run through three models to determine a baseline number. Using that information, dairy producers can look within their farms to find avenues to increase efficiencies and decrease their footprint score.

“We want to get as detailed as possible so we can avoid overestimating,” Titus said. “When you get into Scope 3, it is very hard to gather data.”

Many farms are most interested in Scope 1 and 2 Titus said.

Eocene’s function is to visit the farm, collect information, and run it through their models, creating a baseline carbon number. A year later, the same data is collected again, allowing for comparisons to determine where carbon reduction has been recognized.

Once a reduction from the baseline has been realized, the option exists for dairy farmers to enter the carbon market. There are two types of carbon markets in place — regulatory and voluntary.

“Most of the carbon markets we’re participating today in the U.S. are voluntary markets,” Titus said. “With carbon credits and carbon markets, verification is required. They are looking for quantification of a baseline and they are looking for implementation — what did you do to improve?”

Entering the carbon marketplace can allow dairy farmers to create revenue from their efforts to reduce their carbon footprint. Titus cautions farmers to remember that once they sell a carbon credit, they can no longer claim that towards their farm’s overall carbon footprint score, as it will factor into the purchasing entity’s score.

Grasping the opportunity to create an individual path towards sustainability is something Mayer urges dairy farmers to pursue.

“As dairy farmers, finding your voice and knowing your business is more important today than it has ever been,” Mayer said. “If we’re going to have a market, we’re going to have to stand up proactively and continue to share our story. We can complain as much as we want about consumers and the retail chain, but we’re all connected.”