Forage management to improve on-farm feed production, nitrogen fluxes and greenhouse gas emissions from dairy systems in a wet temperate region

Doltra, Jordi; Villar, Ana; Moros, R.; Salcedo, G.; Hutchings, Nicholas J.; Kristensen, Ib Sillebak

doi:10.1016/j.agsy.2017.11.004

Cited by 14 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 32 publications

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“…Differences found in contrast to international literature on GHG emissions in dairy farms per kg of FPCM were due to the moderate mean yields of 13.5 kg/cow/day in the studied farms from both feeding strategies. In example, Doltra et al (2018) with lower emissions reported yields between 18 and 20 kg milk/cow/day, while Garg et al (2016) from work with smallholder farms in India reported emissions per kg of FPCM from cows similar to values herein reported.…”

Section: Greenhouse Gas Emissions From N Utilisationsupporting

confidence: 83%

“…The GHG emissions from milk production were not different (P>0.05) between feeding strategies with a mean 2.1 kg CO2-eq/kg FPCM. These values are higher than reports by Doltra et al (2018) who found values between 1.5 and 1.2 kg CO2-eq/ kg milk for zero grazing and grazing systems respectively when comparing feeding systems in northern Spain.…”

Section: Greenhouse Gas Emissions From N Utilisationcontrasting

confidence: 78%

“…In terms of yearly GHG per cow, even though the cut-andcarry farms had 13.6% more emission than grazing farms, the analysis did not detect significant differences (P>0.05). The mean emission of 4635.2 kg CO2-eq/cow/year was lower than the 5946 kg CO2-eq/cow/year for zero-grazing and 5659 kg CO2-eq/cow/year for grazing reported by Doltra et al (2018) in Northern Spain, with milk yields of 18.1 kg/cow/day for zero-grazing and 19.1 kg/cow/day for grazing.…”

Section: Greenhouse Gas Emissions From N Utilisationmentioning

confidence: 57%

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Nitrogen Utilisation and Greenhouse Gas Emissions in Small-Scale Dairy Systems in the Highlands of Central Mexico

Pozo-Leyva

López-González

Olea-Pérez

et al. 2022

Trop Subtrop Agroecosyst

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Background: Nitrogen (N) plays an important role within milk production systems (MPS), as an indicator of environmental and economic efficiency. Objective. The objective was to determine utilisation of N offered in the ration and estimate GHG from the enteric fermentation and manure management in 12 small-scale dairy farms under two feeding strategies. Methodology. Six farms had their herds in confinement under a cut-and-carry feeding system, and six farms implemented day grazing of mixed pastures, both systems used commercial concentrates as a supplement. Cows in milk production and their replacements were considered in the study. Pasture intake was calculated by difference in dry matter intake, using 3.2 % of live weight as intake factor. The N utilisation was determined by difference between N intake and excretion at each farm during a whole year operation. The GHG emissions were estimated following Tier 2 guidelines rom IPCC. Differences in feeding strategies were analysed with a completely random block design using farms as a blocking factor. Results. Mean farm size was 5.0 ha for cut-and-carry and 16.0 ha for grazing, and dry matter feed self-sufficiency was 62 and 83% respectively, considering 12% and 22% refusals for each strategy. There were no statistically significant differences (P>0.05) for any of the N utilisation components (N in diet, N in milk, N in manure, NH3 and N2O or GHG emissions. Implications. This is a novel report on assessing N fluxes and GHG emissions from small-scale dairy systems in Mexico and Latin America. Conclusions. In general, 87.6% of the N consumed is excreted in manure and urine. The feeding strategies did not diverge enough to have an impact on GHG emissions.

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Section: Greenhouse Gas Emissions From N Utilisationsupporting

confidence: 83%

Section: Greenhouse Gas Emissions From N Utilisationcontrasting

confidence: 78%

Section: Greenhouse Gas Emissions From N Utilisationmentioning

confidence: 57%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Nitrogen Utilisation and Greenhouse Gas Emissions in Small-Scale Dairy Systems in the Highlands of Central Mexico

Pozo-Leyva

López-González

Olea-Pérez

et al. 2022

Trop Subtrop Agroecosyst

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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“…The total annual GHG emissions were strongly related to total feed eaten, and the lower feed supplies and associated lower stocking rates of the Improved systems were the key drivers of lower total GHG emissions in all three regions [11]. These findings align with international studies where the general trend was that increased farming intensity within a system (more input and more animals) may decrease the GHG intensity of milk (kg emissions/kg milk), but absolute emissions (kg emissions/ha) will increase [12][13][14]. Few studies have considered the wider issues of emissions to both air and water, impacts of mitigations on farm profitability, and the potential trade-offs from achieving these often-conflicting goals.…”

Section: Introductionsupporting

confidence: 78%

Benefits and Trade-Offs of Dairy System Changes Aimed at Reducing Nitrate Leaching

Beukes

Romera

Hutchinson

et al. 2019

Animals

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Between 2011 and 2016, small-scale farm trials were run across three dairy regions of New Zealand (Waikato, Canterbury, Otago) to compare the performance of typical regional farm systems with farm systems implementing a combination of mitigation options most suitable to the region. The trials ran for at least three consecutive years with detailed recording of milk production and input costs. Nitrate leaching per hectare of the milking platform (where lactating cows are kept) was estimated using either measurements (suction cups), models, or soil mineral nitrogen measurements. Post-trial, detailed farm information was used in the New Zealand greenhouse gas inventory methodology to calculate the emissions from all sources; dairy platform, dairy support land used for wintering non-lactating cows (where applicable) and replacement stock, and imported supplements. Nitrate leaching was also estimated for the support land and growing of supplements imported from off-farm using the same methods as for the platform. Operating profit (NZ$/ha/year), nitrate leaching (kg N/ha/year), and greenhouse gas emissions (t CO2-equivalent/ha/year) were all expressed per hectare of milking platform to enable comparisons across regions. Nitrate leaching mitigations adopted in lower-input (less purchased feed and nitrogen fertiliser) farm systems reduced leaching by 22 to 30 per cent, and greenhouse gas emissions by between nine and 24 per cent. The exception was the wintering barn system in Otago, where nitrate leaching was reduced by 45 per cent, but greenhouse gas emissions were unchanged due to greater manure storage and handling. Important drivers of a lower environmental footprint are reducing nitrogen fertiliser and purchased feed. Their effect is to reduce feed flow through the herd and drive down both greenhouse gas emissions and nitrate leaching. Emission reductions in the lower-input systems of Waikato and Canterbury came at an average loss of profit of approximately NZ$100/t CO2-equivalent (three to five per cent of industry-average profit per hectare).

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“…Regarding GWP, the primary source is animal husbandry which accounts for emissions from manure management (N 2 O, CH 4 ) and enteric fermentation in ruminants (CH 4 ), with the majority originating from the latter (Ogino et al, 2007;Dick et al, 2015;Doltra et al, 2018;Gislon et al, 2020). Therefore, the lower GWP from animal husbandry of the Lungau farms is caused by the lower stocking rates (0.88 and 1.04 dairy cows ha MP −1 for Lungau farms and MDF, respectively; Table 1), which lead to less enteric fermentation and lower emissions from manure management (Dong et al, 2006).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Environmental Assessment of Austrian Organic Dairy Farms With Closed Regional Production Cycles in a Less Favorable Production Area

Grassauer

Herndl

Iten

et al. 2022

Front. Sustain. Food Syst.

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Extensive dairy production in less favorable production areas has a long tradition in Austria. Nevertheless, dairy production also contributes considerable environmental impacts (EIs), e.g., greenhouse gas emissions, nutrient losses, and land use. Therefore, 20 organic dairy farms located in the Lungau region in Austria were assessed concerning their EIs via life cycle assessment (LCA). Cumulative exergy demand (CExD), normalized eutrophication potential (EP), aquatic ecotoxicity potential (AE), and global warming potential (GWP) were considered as impact categories to describe the farms' EIs. The farms were part of a pilot project aiming to produce high-quality dairy products and keep production cycles closed within the project region. Consequently, the purchase of key off-farm resources was only possible within the project region. We adapted existing life cycle inventories to account for those regional resource purchases. Subsequently, the EIs of the 20 farms were related to the functional units (FUs) of 1 kg energy-corrected milk (ECM) and 1 ha agricultural area for milk production and compared to a representative model dairy farm (MDF) that was created based on statistical data and average production values of organic Austrian dairy farms. Compared to the MDF, results show an ~58% lower EP per ha and 44% per kg ECM of the Lungau farms. Further, the CExD per ha was about 24% lower due to a lower use of resources caused by the lower production intensity of the Lungau farms. Regarding GWP, Lungau farms are favorable considering 1 ha as the FU, whereas the MDF seems advantageous if 1 kg ECM is used as the FU. However, caused by a high variation of purchased roughage and the lower production intensity, the Lungau farms cause higher AE, regardless of the FU. Overall, we identified three principal production parameters determining the environmental performance of milk production in a closed production cycle in a less favorable area, namely, (1) the stocking rate, (2) the fed concentrate, and (3) the purchased roughage. Using those inputs at moderate intensity, the extensively managed Lungau farms can competitively contribute to producing food, thus highlighting the importance of site-adapted agriculture.

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Forage management to improve on-farm feed production, nitrogen fluxes and greenhouse gas emissions from dairy systems in a wet temperate region

Cited by 14 publications

References 32 publications

Nitrogen Utilisation and Greenhouse Gas Emissions in Small-Scale Dairy Systems in the Highlands of Central Mexico

Nitrogen Utilisation and Greenhouse Gas Emissions in Small-Scale Dairy Systems in the Highlands of Central Mexico

Benefits and Trade-Offs of Dairy System Changes Aimed at Reducing Nitrate Leaching

Environmental Assessment of Austrian Organic Dairy Farms With Closed Regional Production Cycles in a Less Favorable Production Area

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