Americas Conservation Ag Movement

Practical Tips to Help Finance Regenerative Ag Projects

Wed, 08 Jan 2025 20:28:44 GMT

For generations, Long Dairy Farms Inc. of Rising Sun, Maryland has farmed the same piece of land since 1759. Today, they milk 150 cows and raise all of their heifers on-site, ensuring the continuity of their farming legacy. However, the journey to keep the family farm in operation has not always been easy.

In 2015, Alice Crothers and her husband, Caleb, were asked to return to the family farm after learning that her father-in-law was ill.

“We were asked to return to the farm, and it was sort of a shock to us,” Alice recalls. “At the time, we had very different careers in Tennessee, but my husband’s family was looking for the eighth generation to carry the farm on. So, we packed up the car and made the decision to return home.”

Returning to the farm brought both significant challenges and unexpected opportunities. The shift from their previous careers to full-time farming required Alice and her husband to quickly adapt to a new lifestyle and steep learning curve. Operational inefficiencies, financial constraints, and the pressure of maintaining a multi-generational legacy added to the complexities they faced.

“Things were different than we expected, both operationally and financially,” Alice says. “Within the first year, we realized pretty quickly that we needed a game plan and a strategy if we were going to be the eighth generation. And of course, there was a tremendous amount of pressure on our shoulders to not fail.”

Realizing that change was essential for the family business to survive, Alice and her husband concluded that focusing on regenerative agriculture could be a long-term solution.

“We decided that one of our business plans would be to diversify our farm through conservation, preservation, and sustainable projects,” Alice explains. “We laid out a plan on what we hoped to pursue, and a lot of that plan has come to fruition, but not without some hardships.”

Finding the Dollars

Incorporating new sustainability projects, like installing a methane digester, brought significant financial challenges to the operation. The upfront costs were daunting.

“We knew these projects were critical for the farm’s future, but the financial pressure was immense,” Alice admits. “We had to get creative, make sacrifices, and seek every possible resource.”

Securing grants was a major hurdle.

“The application process is extensive and time-consuming,” Alice says. “Even when we were eligible, competition for funds was fierce, and timelines didn’t always match our needs.”

But with time and creativity, Long Dairy Farms was able to find a solution and pencil out a financial plan that fit their farm’s needs.

Alice offers practical tips for farmers looking to finance regenerative agriculture projects, emphasizing the importance of careful planning, exploring diverse funding sources, and building partnerships.

Assess Costs and Benefits

Before pursuing sustainability initiatives, it’s vital to evaluate their costs and benefits. Consider projects like energy-efficient equipment, manure management systems, renewable energy installations, or water conservation measures. Assess short-term expenses and long-term savings or revenue potential.

Additionally, consider intangible benefits like improved public perception, compliance with future environmental regulations, and better herd health. A detailed cost-benefit analysis can guide decision-making and strengthen your case for funding.

“Sustainability has to fit your farm,” Alice says. “For us, it wasn’t just about financial returns. As eighth-generation farmers raising the ninth, these projects secure our family’s legacy.”

Leverage Government Grants and Incentives

Government programs can ease the financial burden of sustainability projects. Tax credits for renewable energy, rebates for energy-efficient equipment, and USDA grants like the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) are valuable resources.

“Staying informed about available incentives is crucial,” Alice says. “These programs can provide the boost needed to get projects off the ground.”

Learn From Others

Alice highlights the importance of learning from other farmers. “Before starting any project, we visited other farms to see what worked and what didn’t,” she says.

Sharing success stories within the farming community can also open doors. “Farmers talk, and having a few successes builds credibility,” Alice explains. “We’ve learned who to partner with, what to avoid, and how to navigate financial challenges by connecting with others.”

A Clearer Path to Sustainability

Financing sustainability projects for your dairy farm may seem daunting, but with the right approach, it’s achievable. Start with a clear plan, explore diverse funding sources, and build partnerships.

“Sustainability isn’t just an investment in our farm,” Alice says. “It’s an investment in the future of agriculture and our planet.”

By embracing regenerative practices, Alice and her family are ensuring their farm’s legacy continues for generations to come.

Digging into Soil Health

Tue, 03 Dec 2024 22:14:48 GMT

One hundred years after the Dust Bowl blew away topsoil from nearly 200 million acres of American farmland, farmers and ranchers are slowly entering into a new relationship with the soils beneath their boots.

But is change happening quickly enough to make an impact on the future of our soil? Some experts are concerned.

Certainly the nomenclature “soil health” is more commonplace now across farm management plans and in everyday farm-gate conversations.

“In the early 2000s ‘soil health’ was a term hotly debated among scientists as a replacement for ‘soil quality’,” says Dr. Bianca Moebius-Clune, climate and soil health director of American Farmland Trust’s Climate and Soil Health Initiative.

More than 20 years later, Moebius-Clune says that “significant strides” have been made in normalizing the concept of soil health across the research and agricultural community.

But that normalization may not be translating to soil health practices on the ground fast enough.

“We need to scale up the drivers of adoption, because we don’t, as of yet, have a New Conventional Agriculture where soil health management systems are the new normal,” she says.

“Depending on which data we look at, no-till or reduced-till are in use on about half the acres at this point, and possibly still slowly growing, while cover crops increased from 10M acres in 2012 to about 15M acres in 2017 to about 18M acres in 2022 per the Ag Census, that’s 6% of today’s about 300M cropland acres,” she says.

“That’s progress, but not enough progress!”

(America’s Conservation Ag Movement)

Soil Health Principles

Moebius-Clune says that principles that promote healthy soil ecosystems are broadly applicable, but they need to be carefully adapted for success in a production system.

She points to four globally accepted principles that, together, can achieve an optimal soil health system:

- Maximize biodiversity
- Maximize living roots
- Maximize soil cover
- Minimize disturbance

Putting these into place on farms and ranches is to commit to stewarding what Moebius-Clune calls an “underground herd of livestock” or living organisms that contribute to a vibrant soil ecosystem and, therefore, high-functioning soils.

Beyond well-known practices like reduced tillage and cover cropping, those baseline principles can yield additional opportunities for farmers to invest in the health of their soil, including diversification of crop rotations, integrating livestock into cropping systems and precisely managing inputs. One innovative soil health tactic— biochar --has recently been included by USDA-NRCS through Soil Carbon Amendment Conservation Practice Standard 336, meaning financial and technical assistance is now available to help growers with implementation.

Soil Health Drivers

If the baseline principles are basic enough, why aren’t more farmers and ranchers jumping ahead in implementation?

Moebius-Clune says that adoption thus far has largely been driven by innovators, early adopters, researchers, NRCS and organizations like American Farmland Trust that have put time and effort into education, outreach and training. But, that work, she says, is not sufficient to take soil health adoption to the next level.

“We need to address the still significant social, financial and technical barriers to adoption,” she says.

American Farmland Trust is working in collaboration with partners across the value chain, including America’s Conservation Ag Movement , to break down those barriers through initiatives that develop farmer networks, science-and-practice grounded technical resources, decision-support tools and policy solutions to improve farmer access to resources.

Soil Health Benefits

Those soil health early adopters are seeing tangible benefits on farms and ranches, especially as climate extremes are becoming more prevalent.

“Healthier soils provide more resilience in extreme conditions,” says Moebius-Clune.

Moebius-Clune credits the “stable aggregates” of healthy soils for keeping pores open during periods of heavy rainfall events, allowing rainfall to infiltrate into the soil and store rather than washing topsoil downstream.

“This prepares systems to be more resilient during droughts when stored water in a deeper root zone remains available for longer,” she says, adding that diverse production systems are more likely to produce some crops that maintain yield when others fail.

The diversity of ecosystems in healthy soils can protect crops from pests and pathogens as well.

“There is even evidence in social science literature that farmers who manage for healthy soils may experience less stress and more inspiration, autonomy, confidence, freedom, flexibility and happiness,” she says.

Soil Health + Bottom Line

While soil health practices could lead to enhanced opportunities for farmers and ranchers looking to cash in on the carbon marketplace , Moebius-Clune cautions that there is still confusion and uncertainty holding many back.

But, even without that opportunity, American Farmland Trust has been putting soil health to the economic test by highlighting case studies where soil health penciled out in the bottom line.

“Our case studies show potential for return on investment through increased yields, decreased input costs, decreased long-term production system risk during extreme weather events and decreased maintenance needs and also quantify environmental benefits such as decreased erosion, nutrient and sediment pollution and increased carbon sequestration,” Moebius-Clune says.

“We know that farmers who successfully adopt these systems experience real economic returns on their soil health investments that can be quantified.”

America’s Conservation Ag Movement is a public/private collaborative that meets growers across the country where they are on their conservation journey and empowers their next step with technical assistance from USDA-NRCS and innovation solutions and resources from agriculture’s leading providers. Learn more at americasconservationagmovement.com .

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Getting the Most from Manure Application

Tue, 03 Dec 2024 16:15:41 GMT

Manure is a wonderful nutrient source for crops, and though it will not completely replace the need for commercial fertilizer, manure can save money by having to purchase less fertilizer. However, getting the most from manure applications can be complex. Soil needs, timing, crop needs, and application methods and rates can all impact how manure should be used as a fertilizer.

Soil Needs

Manure provides many nutrients for crops, including nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and potassium (K). When manure is readily available, balancing application for P use is the best economically because the crops use all nutrients. However, this will most likely lead to the need for commercial N.

Often, N is balanced before P and K because N needs are highest in corn. Balancing for N alone will lead to oversupplying the soil with P and K. Nitrogen exists in organic and inorganic forms. Organic N is not available to plants, while inorganic N is broken down and available to plants as ammonium and nitrate. Application methods can impact N availability.

Manure Application

Broadcasting (spreading with a spreader) or injecting manure both have their benefits. Spreading manure is cheaper and can be done much faster. However, spreading manure can lead to less N efficiency. Ammonium losses are higher in broadcasted manure because ammonium is converted to ammonia gas. Nitrogen availability ranges from 20 to 40% throughout the year. Availability increases to 50 to 55% when injected. Though injecting manure can lead to more N and reduce odor, injecting requires more time, horsepower, and fuel.

Application rates should meet the demand of the crop to be grown. Maximum lbs of plan-available N should range from 80 to 195 lbs per acre, depending on the prior plant harvested from the land. On the other hand, soybeans use approximately 3.5 lbs of N per bushel harvested, meaning manure application can be 210 lbs per acre with a 60 bu/acre soybean yield.

Environmental Stewardship

Each state has its own laws and regulations for manure application. Be sure to review your state’s Nutrient or Waste Management plans. Over-application of manure can impact soil and water health. Whether balancing application rates for P or N, applying over soil needs will likely not lead to greater crop yields. Test soil regularly to determine the proper soil nutrient needs.

No one knows better than you that the future of your farm depends on balancing practices and profits that sustain your land, resources and family. The stakes are evolving based on weather patterns, technology, market demand and more. What actions are you taking to remain resilient?

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How One Dairy Farmer Found Herself on the VERGE of the Climate Conversation

Fri, 12 Jan 2024 16:51:26 GMT

It’s not easy for Suzanne Vold to leave the day-to-day business of the dairy farm that she runs alongside her husband and brother-in-law. After all, the fourth-generation farm in Minnesota has 500 cows and 600 acres of row crops that supply forage and grain for the herd.

But, in October, Vold received an offer that she felt was too important to turn down—the chance for a farmer to take a seat at one of the largest climate-tech events in the nation. Courtesy of the Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy , an America’s Conservation Ag Movement Partner and Premier Sponsor of GreenBiz VERGE , which hails itself as “the center of gravity for the climate community,” Vold gladly removed her work boots and gloves for four days of discussions around agriculture and its impact on climate.

For the Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy, bringing Vold along for the conference, and even crafting a panel discussion that included her and other dairy value chain members, was a chance to bring agriculture to a table where it had largely been absent.

“In our years participating in GreenBiz VERGE, we recognized the farmer perspective was often missing from conversations, so we prioritized opportunities to elevate their important voice,” said Karen Scanlon, Executive Vice President, Environmental Stewardship, Dairy Management, Inc. “Agriculture has a tremendous opportunity to grow solutions to critical environmental challenges. We have to focus on how to best support and invest in farms as they make decisions that work for their family businesses, their communities and our planet.”

Having Vold in attendance was also a step to help ensure that their industry’s sustainability goals and achievements are not only recognized, but also attract partners who can help accelerate the path to success.

Vold is no stranger to thinking about sustainability, both in her operation and in the industry. It’s why she was a natural fit to help the Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy accomplish their goals at VERGE 2023.

Dorrich Dairy has taken strides to up the sustainability on their farm, most recently converting to robotic milking and implementing a continuous flow manure composter, which runs 24/7 to turn solid waste into bedding for the dairy cows, a marketable product for other farms and even compost soil companies.

Vold has taken leadership roles within the industry to elevate dairy’s role in sustainable food systems. She currently serves as chair of the DMI Environmental Stewardship Committee. For the Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy, she has served on the U.S. Dairy Stewardship Commitment Committee and the Task Force on Regenerative Agriculture and Biodiversity, and helped shape the industry’s protocols on GHG corporate standards and net zero goals and measurement.

Trust In Food spoke with Vold during VERGE 23 to learn how her attendance was received by the climate audience and what perspectives she brought from her farm to share with attendees.

Trust In Food: What has surprised you most about attending VERGE 23 with the Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy?

Vold: I’m excited to see that many attendees are supportive of farmers, but there are very few producers here. I would like to see more of us here who are on the front lines. Very often, farmers get talked at and not with. We know our farms, we know our animals, and we know our land. We know what works and what doesn’t because we are generational businesses. We are not in it for the short term. When we make decisions on our farm, whether it’s a day-to-day decision or a huge capital investment, we are thinking about what is the right thing to do for the next generation?

I am surprised, also, to see that so many people are excited to talk to a farmer. Am I happy to talk to them? Absolutely, but I can only share what’s happening on my farm. Every farm is different, not only in location, climate, and soil, but every farm is a unique individual operation.

Why was it important that you take this opportunity to attend VERGE 23 with the Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy?

As a dairy industry, we believe in the power of collaboration, and that includes farmers like me speaking up and being on the front lines at events like GreenBiz VERGE. We know events like these often result in decisions being made that will affect what we do on our farms, and no one knows a farm better than the farmer who runs it. We are the ones getting our hands dirty every day. So, we need a seat at the table to listen, to learn and to educate.

The thing that is on everyone’s mind here at VERGE is also the thing that is on your mind every day on your farm – the weather and how climate is changing. How are you working to mitigate weather changes on your farm?

I can tell you what I’ve seen on my farm as far as changing climate and it’s that we’ve had more extreme weather events in the last decade than we did in my first 10-15 years farming. As I watch the news and see extreme weather events around the country, there are more of them.

In my area in Minnesota, in 2021, we were in extreme drought, all year. That decreased our forage harvest by 40-50%, so we had to purchase that much more feed. We are still paying off debt from those purchases. This year, the drought was more moderate, so our second and third crop was not up to standard. We don’t have irrigation because we haven’t needed it. The last few years have made us wonder, though, if we do.

Are there things I can do to improve my soil health to avoid irrigation? Yes. Am I looking at those? Yes. They are expensive, so can I do them alone? Probably not. That’s why events like GreenBiz VERGE are such a great opportunity to learn and collaborate with others who I know are experiencing similar challenges.

Want to See Garth Brooks in Concert? Register for the 2023 Milk Business Conference

Fri, 11 Aug 2023 13:30:00 GMT

Dairy producers and industry professionals wanting to build a lasting dairy legacy should carve time into their calendar later this year to attend the 21st anniversary of MILK Business Conference at Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas, Nev., Nov. 28-30. As an added bonus, attendees who register before Sept. 30th will earn a chance to win three concert tickets to see Garth Brooks live in concert at The Colosseum at Caesar’s Palace on Dec. 1.

As we face economic uncertainty, the opportunity to network with other dairy producers and industry leaders who can help propel your dairy forward is essential. MILK Business Conference provides critical business information to help producers thrive in a constantly changing economic environment.

What sets MILK Business Conference apart is the unique position to address every business aspect of progressive dairy operations, offering practical perspectives to help dairy producers address challenges and opportunities that face them. This one-of-a-kind networking event allows both producers and businesses to gain knowledge and perspectives from one another.

Some of the sessions featured this year include:

How to Find, Retain and Develop the Best Farm Employees

Speakers: Jorge Delgado, Alltech

Katie Grinstead, Vir Clar Farms, Fon du Lac, Wis.

The Key to Passing the Torch and Setting up a Successful Farm Transfer

Speaker: Dr. Shannon Ferrell, Oklahoma State University

The Biggest Challenges Ahead for Animal Agriculture

Speaker: Dr. Robert Hagevoort, New Mexico State University Dairy Extension

How Can Beef on Dairy Make You Even More Money?

Speaker: Bob Sato, Friona Industries

Live Taping of U.S. Farm Report

Host: Tyne Morgan

Panel: Dan Basse, Economist & President, AgResource Company, Phil Plourd, President, Ever.Ag Insights, Lucas Fuess, Senior Dairy Analyst, Rabo Research Food & Agribusiness

Work That Matters

Our keynote speaker is Jeff Civillivo, a Las Vegas headline, host personality and philanthropist. From a 10-year-old kid doing shows in the kitchen for his “Gram” to becoming a 3-time “Best of Las Vegas” winner, Jeff Civillico has always had a heart to connect with people. He wants to make you laugh, to make you smile, to make you cheer. At the end of the day, Jeff wants you to leave a little lighter and brighter, taking a ripple of happiness with you as you go. That’s probably the reason he became the youngest Producer/Headliner in Las Vegas and was named Vegas’ “Entertainer of the Year.”

So much more is in store for the 2023 Annual Milk Business Conference. Learn more at milkbusinessconference.com.

How Can Dairy Producers Utilize Carbon Credits to Benefit Climate and Their Bottom Lines?

Tue, 09 May 2023 17:11:57 GMT

Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy , an America’s Conservation Ag Movement partner, unveiled some big moves in the private sector that may make it easier for dairy producers to capitalize on carbon credits to benefit both climate and their bottom lines.

In their latest Member Discovery Series webinar, Newtrient COO Chris Kopman discussed a partnership made public in February that aligns Newtrient and its mission to reduce the environmental footprint of dairy with Athian and its carbon credit marketplace designed to fund livestock sustainability.

During the webinar, Kopman expressed optimism of the growth that the dairy industry has made toward climate-smart efforts to get to this point.

“A lot of the solutions are either here or on their way,” he said. “We think there’s a huge opportunity within dairy and dairy farms to reduce the environmental footprint.”

Kopman said that his company’s seed investment in Athian would give dairy producers a “seat at the table” to further develop climate-smart goals that benefit the entire value chain.

Athian CEO/Founder Paul Myer highlighted goals in bringing their platform to producers and the benefit it could yield for the industry.

“Typically when we make a presentation, we talk first about how we move the needle on climate change, and that is the overarching goal of all these interventions and the processes that take place on-farm,” he said. “When I start talking about this challenge, we look at the commitments that the industry has made to cut the greenhouse gas footprints over time. In this group specifically, we really take the producers’ view, which is that lots of consumer package goods companies, retailers and foodservice providers have made commitments, and certainly packers and processors in dairy co-ops have made similar greenhouse gas reduction commitments. By and large, producers and farmers have not made these commitments, but they’ve got a commitment to do what is right for their herds and for the land that they farm.”

According to Myer, the total U.S. GHG emissions now stands at 6 billion MT, with animal agriculture making up 254 million MT or roughly four percent of that.

“If you break this down into a carbon credit that’s tied to a single metric ton of greenhouse gas reduction, there’s a huge potential to generate significant revenue if we are able to make on-farm changes that cut greenhouse gas emissions,” he said.

One barrier that both Kopman and Myer see as integral to achieving these levels is funding.

“The economics are what we have to get right in order for that to happen,” Kopman said. “We need that economic piece to be there to voluntary incentivize farms to take the step to implement climate smart solutions.”

Kopman and Newtrient are looking for opportunities within the Inflation Reduction Act and the Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP) to help make these on-farm changes achievable for producers.

Currently, the partnership is collecting data on more than 70 U.S. farms, with Athian’s calculator sitting on top of current on-farm assessment tools to leverage data collection.

While this partnership between Newtrient and Athian is a big step for producers, it is only a piece of the work that needs to be done to fully realize dairy’s role in climate-smart change, Myer said.

“Everything that we do is underpinned by the overall industry and the scientific community coming together to take the greenhouse gas problem as a whole and work together to solve it,” he said. “We fundamentally believe that no single company can solve this problem on their own, just as no single farmer can solve this problem. It really needs to be an overall industry effort.”

To learn more and see what upcoming events and webinars the Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy has to offer, visit their website.

Using Cover Crops for Feed Production

Mon, 20 Mar 2023 19:27:59 GMT

It’s no secret that cover crops have surged in popularity over the years. Traditionally, these crops have been planted as a conservation effort to help improve soil health, reduce rain runoff and prevent invasive weed species from taking root. While all of these environmental benefits still hold true, some farmers have started to grow cover crops for a different beneficial reason: feed production

“There are plants that we’ve considered as nothing more than a cover crop that we’re actually finding feeds really, really well for dairy cattle,” says Brendon Blank, a Certified Forage Specialist with Byron Seed. “I think there is a lot that has been overlooked when it comes to feeding cover crops because we have our tunnel vision focused on corn silage and alfalfa.”

Tough growing conditions wreaked havoc on traditional feed sources during the summer of 2019, leaving many farmers with poor feed quality and reduced yield. However, some producers were able to take advantage of prevent plant acers to help make up for some of the forage that was lost.

“A lot of people planted cover crops last year because there was basically a forage crisis,” Blank says. “And a lot of times, for people to try something new there has to be a crisis that requires you to try something else. I believe that last year’s crisis is going to change the way that farmers feed their cows for a long time because people were forced to try something different and a lot of people saw a really good response from it.”

According to Frank Wardynski, a ruminant extension educator for Michigan State University, cover crops have assisted crop farmers for years by helping to capture soil nutrients, preserve moisture and generally improve soil health. Typically, these crops are grown during fallow time between the main cash crops grown on the farm. Livestock producers can reap these same conservation benefits while capturing forage nutrients by grazing or harvesting as hay/silage, he explains.

As more producers share their success stories of growing cover crops to feed their cattle, other producers have been willing to dip their toes into feeding cover crops for forage production as well. If you remain on the cover crop fence, here are few things to consider:

Environmental Benefits

“There are a lot of environmental benefits centered around cover crops, even if you are going to harvest it for feed,” Blank says.

Some of these benefits include suppressing invasive weeds, increasing organic matter along with improving the infiltration and retention of water and nutrients.

“Monoculture legumes such as soybeans and alfalfa can cause your soil to become extremely dense,” Blank says. “If you can interseed your alfalfa with a cover crop variety, such as red clover or a good cool season grass, the cover crop will assist the alfalfa by infiltrating rainwater much, much faster than a monoculture alfalfa field will. This can dramatically reduce rainfall runoff and can help soak up more of that rain into the soil.”

Additionally, the use of cover crops can help minimize the chance of runoff occurring when manure is spread.

“If you build your forage system around using cover crops, you can diversify your manure spreading window,” Blank says. “Typically, there are only certain times of the year when you can spread manure. But if you can spread manure over a green growing cover crop, that is an excellent way for the plant to absorb nutrients.”

Other cover crops may be planted with intentions of improving soil structure in no-till systems, according to Wardynski. This can be especially useful on clay soils. Crops such as oilseed radish, turnips, soybeans and field peas have the ability to break compaction and prepare the soil for a more favorable seed bed in no-till systems.

Nutritional Benefits

Along with a slew of environmental benefits, cover crops offer up some impressive nutritional benefits as well.

“Over the last number of years, growing a good stand of alfalfa has become more of a challenge, and that has gotten a lot of people to look at some of these alternative forage crops,” Blank says. “Today, many varieties of cover crops have better fiber digestibility than alfalfa does.”

Grazing or harvesting cover crops offers livestock producers the opportunity to capture highly digestible nutrients, Wardynski explains.

“Harvesting winter rye as hay or silage allows high quality feed resources to be captured and is more beneficial to soil health than leaving the field lay fallow through the winter months,” he says.

Additionally, using a variety of cover crop species on the land not only helps to improve forage yield, but it can also have a very positive effect on the soil system, according to Blank. Different plants will attract different microbes to the soil, adding more diversity and improving the soil’s biology. This is similar to a cow’s rumen. The more variety provided to an animal, the more efficient and stable the rumen and biological system becomes.

“If you look at what the dairy industry was 20 to 30 years ago compared to what it is now, it’s dramatically different,” Blank says. “The way we feed cows, the way we house our cows, the way we milk our cows and treat our cows, is all very different. Yet we’re still growing corn and alfalfa very similar to what we were 30 years ago. Yes, there have been genetic improvements, but the system as a whole is somewhat stagnant. It’s time for an overhaul and I think we are right on the forefront of starting that.”

Getting Started

When it comes time to put cover crop seed in the ground, there are a few things one should consider before diving head first into the ‘cover crop for feed production world.’

“My biggest caution would be saying ‘I think I want to try this,’ but then not having a long-term plan as to how you will rotate and diversify your crops,” Blank says. “You need to be making plans now for what you will grow next season.”

Another big factor when feeding cover crops is figuring out what group of animals you are going to feed them to. Will it be fed to the lactating herd? The dry cows? Or are you going to use it for heifer feed?

Different varieties of cover crops have different harvest windows, and when you harvest can drastically affect their fiber digestibility, according to Blank. He recommends working with your seed provider and nutritionist to help formulate a cover crop nutrition plan for the animals you plan to feed this forage to.

Diversify Your Fields

While growing cover crops for feed production may not be in the best interest for every dairy producer, it’s growth in popularity and impressive results have made it a tempting option for those who would like to diversify their business.

“You hear talk about how you need to have your farm diversified. How you need to raise dairy, beef, do custom work and have all of these different income streams,” Blank says. “Well, that gets to be difficult. The way I look at it, you can still do just dairy but have diversity in your cropping system. That’s going to bring a lot more stability and resiliency to your operation then a standard cropping system would.”

Instead of putting all of your eggs into one basket, Blank recommends looking at growing cover crops to help expand your nutrition program and to minimize the risk of other forage crops not performing well.

“If you’re making a living off the stock market, you’re not going to invest everything into one or two items. You’re going to be well diversified,” Blank says. “We have a lot of farms that are making their living off of very, very little diversity. They usually only have two crops that they’re 100% dependent on to make their living, and that’s just not stable. Last year showed us how fragile that can be.”

Innovation Drives Sustainable Success

Fri, 03 Feb 2023 01:52:30 GMT

Clever. Creative. Leading edge. These words naturally come to mind when visiting Hildebrand Farms Dairy in Junction City, Kan., although Melissa Hildebrand-Reed would say they just try to do better every single day. In honor of their drive to do better in all things, Hildebrand Farms Dairy was named the International Dairy Foods Association (IDFA) 2022 Innovative Dairy Farmer of the Year.

The Hildebrand family has been at the forefront of innovation — from their processing plant to multifaceted industry partnerships to tapping into the A2 milk market. Each advancement has paved a sustainable path of success for this four-generation farm.

Farm History

Migrating from Switzerland to Kansas City, Mo., in 1920, Arnold Hildebrand began work as a machinist with the Union Pacific Railroad. After marrying his sweetheart, Rose, they moved with the railroad to Junction City. With a growing family, the couple wanted to earn more money so they started a small hobby farm. A decade later, they began selling milk. Arnold and Rose had seven children, six daughters and one son, Carl.

When Carl married in 1949, the farm was passed to him and his wife, Margaret. The couple had four children. When their sons expressed interest in continuing the farm legacy, Carl took out a loan in 1975 to build a freestall barn and parlor.

Today Hildebrand Farms is owned and operated by brothers David, and his wife, Kathy, and Alan, and his wife, Mary. Alan’s daughter Melissa serves as the operations manager and David’s son, Tod, offers a helping hand with the crop enterprise and assists with all the day-to-day operations.

Processing Plant

With the goal to create a fully sustainable farm, the Hildebrand family decided to build an on-site bottling plant in September 2008. The farm became members of Central Equity, who was willing to purchase any leftover milk.

“We were able to sell them what we had left, which initially was 90%,” Alan shares.

It took two years for the farm to use 75% of their milk in their bottling plant. Within four years, they were up to 100% capacity, which is not necessarily ideal because you don’t want to outstretch your supply and demand, Alan says.

Today, they have a strategic milk marketing plan with a general rule of thumb to carry a small excess supply. The surplus is then used in a nearby cheese plant and, if they find themselves in a bind, Central Equity buys the milk.

“We are fortunate to still have that relationship,” Alan notes.

Appreciating the neighborly relationships, the Hildebrands return the favor when nearby creameries similar in size and scale are short on milk by supplying them with extra.

“Creating and maintaining those relationships is huge,” Melissa remarks.

Today, Hildebrand has nine varieties of milk and two varieties of butter in more than 150 stores throughout Kansas. Melissa shares the real motivation for processing their own milk was spurred by her father and uncle, who wanted to continue the farm’s legacy.

“I’m grateful to have a farm that I could come back to because I know so many people don’t have that opportunity,” she states.

With the changing tastes and diets of today’s consumers, the Hildebrands began refocusing their herd’s genetics two years ago by using sires with strong A2 traits.

“The No. 1 trait we select bulls for is A2A2. The second trait is butterfat,” Melissa says.

Understanding they are a voice for the industry, Alan says they never take the stance that their milk is healthier than others.

The Hildebrands open-door policy in their local community allows them to not only promote their products but educate the consumer about the dairy industry. More than 10,000 students tour the farm annually, and the farm hosts various events such as yoga on the farm, cows cooks and conservation, harvest festivals and “moo-vie” nights as well as operate a farm store on the dairy.

Industry Partnership

With the proximity of the USDA Research Center only 30 miles east in Manhattan, it paved the way for the Hildebrands to be at the forefront of national research and product development. Two years ago, a partnership was established between the USDA Research Center and Hildebrand Farms Dairy, focusing on researching the direct effects of mosquitoes on livestock.

“They were not only looking at the ways to trap and count mosquitoes, but also looking at devices essentially that could eliminate and ward off mosquitoes,” Melissa says.

The partnership has been a win-win for both the Hildebrands and USDA.

“The entomologists and biologists have incredible minds that want to make a difference for the dairy industry, but they have very little background or knowledge of the application to make it happen,” Melissa says. “So, in a way — they need us, more than we need them.”

One project spurred other project ideas and USDA asked Melissa if they could collect flies for a research project on her farm.

“Of course, we were all in, especially having customers visiting our farm, fly control is huge,” she reports.

Yet another USDA project included SCR monitoring tags on 40 initial animals to watch tail switches and ear movement.

“It’s just awesome,” Melissa notes. “Having research that benefits our farm, as well as the entire industry, is something we feel grateful to be part of.”

The Hildebrands have also worked with Kansas State University’s dairy plant to collaborate on various recipes for their butter and ice cream. They serve as an in-field teaching center for education opportunities with students from Kansas State University College of Veterinary Medicine and College of Agriculture. Many of those students then continue to advance through an on-farm internship program, which is also open to local veterans.

“We find great help from students and veterans who are eager to learn about farming and want to build their resumes,” Melissa adds.

Over the past decade, the Hildebrands have established a solid relationship with Kroger and currently have products in 53 of their grocery stores. They also have products in Sprouts, Natural Grocers, Whole Foods and Hy-Vee while continuing to supply local coffee shops and restaurants. In 2021, they started a partnership with a new company focused on door-to-door deliveries in Kansas City, Topeka and Lawrence with plans to expand into the Wichita metropolitan area.

The Future Road

The Hildebrands have been in business for more than nine decades because of their outside-the-box thinking to remain sustainable. Processing and selling milk direct to the consumer while showcasing the farm and entire industry became the focus of the small operation.

While facing the same challenges as other dairies, the Hildebrands are looking at robots to milk their cows in the future.

“Technology that can push us to the future — connecting with consumers is such a cool opportunity on showcasing what robots can do,” Melissa notes.

The farm milks 150 cows along with farming 1,850 acres of corn, soybeans and alfalfa. While the Hildebrands are always planning for future growth, they illustrate that growth doesn’t always have to equal more cows. The farm closely monitors the dollars and cents with products and distribution, focusing on the bottom line.

“Our growth can include more income per gallon of milk,” Alan says.

While there are twice as many dairy cows in Kansas as there were 20 years ago, one of the state’s relatively small dairies has been able to continue down the road of success without adding cows. Innovation and collaboration, not only within the industry, but in their local community as well, is what sets Hildebrand Dairy apart and gives them the title of Innovative Dairy Farmer of the Year.

“We try to make do with what we have, but also make it work well for us,” Melissa shares. “We simply try to follow God’s plan and do things the way they are intended and say yes when opportunities present themselves.”

13 Easy Ways to Lower Water and Energy Usage on Your Dairy

Tue, 25 Jan 2022 15:27:14 GMT

Building trust in food begins with empowering farmers through one of the largest and most diverse conservation- and sustainability-focused public-private partnerships in our nation’s history: America’s Conservation Ag Movement. To find the latest news and resources related to the Movement, visit AgWeb.com/ACAM

Producers tend to believe that in order to become a sustainable dairy operation, they have to go out and spend large sums of money to make updates to their farm. While money is required for certain sustainability upgrades, there are plenty of environmentally friendly improvements that can be done at zero cost.

In fact, simple yet effective sustainable advancements such as the practices listed below can help put more of your hard-earned dollars back into your pocket. If you are searching for new ways to become more sustainable on your farm, check out these 13 conservation practices that only take minutes to complete.

Minimize Water Usage

Agriculture is the largest water user worldwide, accounting for 70% of total freshwater withdrawals on average, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Therefore, it is important that farmers conserve this natural resource whenever possible. The University of New Hampshire offers up these tips when it comes to conserving water on your dairy:

1. Fix leaks. A leaking pipe joint or dripping faucet contributes to the loss of 10 gallons per unit per day, on average.

2. Pay attention when filling tubs or tanks. A water tub that is accidentally left to run over while filling with a hose is responsible for the loss of 5 gallons per minute. Install a float with a shut-off.

3. Capture the pre-cooler water that chills down milk. Allowing it to run down the drain can waste between 20 and 30 gallons of water every minute the water is running though the cooler.

4. Divert wash water from a clean-in-place (CIP) system to a storage tank. Then reuse the water through a pump to wash down the parlor.

5. Tune up your wash system to assure the air injection system is working properly, and then check the settings to see that you are only using the amount of water needed for each wash cycle.

6. Cow cooling doesn’t need water spraying continuously; cycle the unit off and on in coordination with a fan system.

7. Rinse small equipment in a sink or bucket, rather than with running water.

8. Watch how much you flush. If you use a flush system to clean the alleyways in your freestall barn, consider cutting back the number of times you flush to help reduce water usage.

Don’t Be an Energy Hog

A major and often-overlooked overhead cost on the farm is utilities. With simple upgrades, you can dramatically reduce your energy usage and bills, according to farm energy auditor Chad Kloberdanz. He provides these five pointers when trying to conserve energy on the farm.

9. Clean fan blades and maintain belt tension on fans. This can increase existing fan efficiency by 10% or more.

10. Keep an eye on what’s plugged in. Do you really need six batteries charging at once?

11. Take the heat down a few degrees. Dropping the temperatures from 70°F to 65°F can save up to 21% on a heating bill.

12. Air leaks are a major cause of heat loss and high energy bills. Use caulk and weatherstripping on all of your shop’s door openings and windows. This can reduce heat loss up to 37%.

13. Hold off on replacing low-use and small motors, such as drills, grinders and welders. Typically, a motor needs to run 2,000 hours annually to justify a replacement.

Water Conservation: A Dairy Farmer’s Perspective

Tue, 03 Aug 2021 12:00:00 GMT

Water. It’s arguably one of the most vital natural resources we have on the planet, yet its usage is becoming stricter. Living within extreme drought has become the new norm in some parts of the country, and it’s not predicted to change anytime soon. While farmers have always strived to be good water stewards, they are feeling the pressure now more than ever and it’s becoming increasingly important to make every drop of used water count.

“New Mexico has been in a drought for what feels like most of my adult life,” says Tara Vander Dussen, an environmental scientist and New Mexico dairy farmer. “We’ll have a couple of years of good rainfall, kind of like what this year is shaping up to be, but overall, we’re usually in a drought.”

Vander Dussen, who’s family operates Rajen Dairy located in Eastern, N.M., relies on 100% groundwater from the Ogallala Aquifer, the largest aquifer in the United States. However, the groundwater within the aquifer has been a steady decline over the years, raising conservation concerns across the country.

“For us, conserving water is not really something new,” Vander Dussen says. “It’s always been something we’ve just felt that we had to do, not just because of sustainability reasons. But it’s becoming more and more crucial for us to conserve water on our dairy. We don’t want to pump water if we don’t have to, so that means we need to reuse the water that we have and then really optimize the water we are using to water our crops.”

Similar to the Vander Dussen’s, dairy farmers across the country are implementing practices to reuse water on their facility multiple times. Though this has been a common practice across agriculture for decades, it’s also become a part of the dairy industry’s Net Zero Initiative. The Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy has set aggressive new environmental stewardship goals to advance dairy’s role in building a sustainable future, including its ambitions to achieve neutral or better carbon emissions, optimize water usage and improve water quality by 2050.

“U.S. dairy is making a promise for a better future,” says Krysta Harden, executive vice president of global environmental strategy for Dairy Management, Inc. and the Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy. “By expanding, operationalizing, and measuring sustainability practices across farming and dairy companies, we’re harnessing the power of a strong, connected and diverse sector to nourish people, the planet and local communities. We’re putting a stake in the ground to say, ‘U.S. dairy will give more than it takes.’”

Reusing and Recycling

There are several different ways to reuse water on a dairy facility. Whether it’s using recycled water to sanitize milking equipment or reusing water to flush away manure, farmers are continually finding ways to conserve water.

At Rajen Dairy, the Vander Dussen’s reuse water up to four times on their facility.

“What happens the first time is we use water to cool the milk,” Vander Dussen says. “Since groundwater is about 55°F and milk comes out of the cow at about 100°F, we can use that cooler groundwater to cool the milk before it actually goes to the chiller.”

The second way the Vander Dussen’s reuse their water is by utilizing it to help sanitize some of their milking equipment. “Since that water that we used to chill the milk hasn’t touched anything, we can use it to clean some of our equipment,” Vander Dussen notes.

From there, the water is stored in the lagoon until it is needed to flush away manure within the barn. “We use that water to flush out our holding pen during milking,” Vander Dussen says. “Then we store that water in a lagoon until we use it again to flush out the alleyways behind where the cows like to stand and eat their food.”

After the water has been used to clean the alleyways, it is stored once more before being used for a final time. “Once we’ve used the water to clean the barns, we store it in the lagoon again before it ultimately goes out onto our fields to water our crops,” Vander Dussen says. “Just before we put it on the fields, we do a test four times a year to see what the nitrogen content is so we can avoid an over application of nitrogen.”

Continued Conservation

For the Vander Dussen’s conserving water has become second nature. Water usage is becoming stricter, and the New Mexico government has stepped in to ensure not too much water is being used.

“We are regulated on exactly how much water we are allowed to pump every day,” Vander Dussen notes. “We have a meter going into our barn that gives us a reading on the gallons of water we are using per day, and we have to stay under that number.”

As the drought intensifies in the western part of the U.S., water conservation concerns continue. While farmers are no stranger to conserving this precious resource, government regulations may begin to intensify across the country.

“I think the government will continue to control the amount of water farmers use,” Vander Dussen says. “But producers are innovative and there are lots of easy ways to reuse what we have. If every dairy cut back its water usage by 10%, that 10% multiplied by 37,000 dairies equates to a lot of water conserved.”

Follow Tara on Instagram at @NewMexicoMilkMaid and check out her blog, here!

Study Shows Removing Dairy Cows Would Have Minimal Impact on GHG Emissions

Thu, 07 Jan 2021 20:49:41 GMT

“Avoiding meat and dairy is the best way to reduce your impact on the climate.” “Going vegan helps save the planet.” “Animal agriculture is terrible for the environment.”

We’ve all heard these claims, and maybe even some of us have thought them to be true, but what are the facts?

According to the American Dairy Science Association (ADSA), the U.S. dairy industry contributes roughly 1.58% of the total U.S. greenhouse gas emissions; however, it also supplies the protein requirements of 169 million people, calcium requirements of 254 million people, and energy requirements of 71.2 million people.

As greenhouse gas emissions have continued to grow over the years, one commonly suggested solution to reduce greenhouse gas output has been to reduce or eliminate the dairy industry in favor of plant production.

However, recent research from Virginia Tech disputes that notion.

“There are environmental impacts associated with the production of food, period. The dairy industry does have an environmental impact, but if you look at it in the context of the entire U.S. enterprise, it’s fairly minimal,” said Robin White, an associate professor in the Department of Animal and Poultry Sciences and a member of the research team. “Associated with that minimal impact is a very substantial provision of high quality, digestible, and well-balanced nutrients for human consumption.”

The authors of this study assessed three removal scenarios—depopulation, current management (export dairy), and retirement, according to the ADSA. In depopulation, consumers would stop consuming dairy products, resulting in depopulation of the animals; in current management (export dairy), the cattle management would remain the same and milk produced would be used for products other than human food or exported for human consumption; in retirement, the cattle would be retired to a pasture-based system but reduced to numbers that could be supported by available pastureland.

“Land use was a focus in all animal removal scenarios because the assumptions surrounding how to use land made available if we remove dairy cattle greatly influence results of the simulations,” White said. “If dairy cattle are no longer present in U.S. agriculture, we must consider downstream effects, such as handling of pasture and grain land previously used for producing dairy feed, disposition of byproduct feeds, and sourcing fertilizer.”

At the conclusion of the study, the scientists found that the removal of dairy cattle from U.S. agriculture would only reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 0.7% Additionally, greenhouse gas emissions remained unchanged under the current management (export dairy) scenario.

Under the retirement and depopulation scenarios, greenhouse gas emissions declined 11.97% and 7.2% respectively. However, this small dip in greenhouse gas emissions came at the price of a large nutritional gap for consumers.

According to Virginia Tech, all 39 nutrients considered in human diet quality were decreased for the retired scenario, and although 30 of 39 nutrients increased for the depopulation scenario, several essential nutrients declined.

“Production of some essential nutrients, such as calcium and many vitamins, decreased under all reallocation scenarios that decreased greenhouse gas emissions, making the dairy removal scenarios suboptimal for feeding the U.S, population,” White says.

PPTV System can Reduce BRD in Dairy Calves by up to 50%

Fri, 20 Nov 2020 03:06:43 GMT

A conversation Gabe Middleton had with a mentor a few years ago struck a chord with the large animal veterinarian.

“He said when you leave a conference, you should have something you can take back to your clinic that helps clients and makes money,” recalls Middleton, a partner in the Orrville Veterinary Clinic, Orrville, Ohio.

For Middleton, one of those “somethings” became the use of positive pressure tube ventilation (PPTV) systems in dairy calf and heifer facilities. The systems reduce air bacterial counts and noxious agents in barns by driving fresh, outside air into the microenvironment of the calf.

By improving the air ventilation, Middleton’s experience and industry research show dairy calves are more likely to thrive and have fewer incidences of bovine respiratory disease (BRD).

“If the dairy’s stocking density, nutrition and vaccination protocols are adequate, we typically see about a 50% reduction in respiratory disease cases,” Middleton says.

The financial benefits from fewer BRD incidences can be significant. A recent study by Elanco involving 104,000 heifers from 23 herds with one or more recorded cases of BRD during the first 120 days of life, showed costs from the infected heifers exceeded those for healthy heifers by $212 to $237. Total costs depended on whether anticipated milk-production differences were considered, according to Elanco veterinarian Michael Overton. Those estimates greatly exceed previously published figures ranging from about $20 to $60 per head in BRD costs. (Read more about the study here https://bit.ly/3c4pSDZ )

Middleton likes to reference studies such as a 2012 paper by F. Soberon that shows the positive impact that reduced BRD incidences have on milk production (Learn more at https://bit.ly/2XAQwPL ). Studies such as this show that every 0.1 pounds of preweaning average daily gain (ADV) can lead to approximately 300 pounds of L1 milk. In addition, another study Middleton references shows healthy calves not receiving antibiotics produce 1,000 pounds more milk in L1.

In addition, Middleton says by reducing BRD cases producers experience fewer death losses, lower heifer replacement costs and a reduction in veterinary expenses.

“Instead of needing to treat a sick calf, what we’re doing is helping the client prevent a sick calf to begin with,” Middleton says. “All of these factors add up to helping dairies become more profitable, which is what I believe we’re here to do.”

What the system accomplishes is critical to its success in helping reduce the incidence of BRD. The system must be designed and installed so it blows 100% fresh, outside air into the calf room and without creating a draft.

The components are straightforward. Essentially, there are three primary components in a positive pressure ventilation system: a fan, a tube and cables that suspend the tube from the rafters.

During the design phase, account for three key physical properties within the tube, Middleton notes: the fan’s static pressure, and the tube’s aperture ratio and discharge coefficient. Without going into a lot of detail, just remember if the system is not designed with these factors in mind, you can end up with a poor match between the fan and the tube. Ultimately, this can result in poor air flow through the tube and uneven air distribution at calf level.

While the concept of a PPTV is straight-forward, the size and shape of the barn and how well the system is designed and installed will impact performance. Middleton encourages practitioners to steer producers in the “right direction” regarding the design.

“Too often, producers may choose to save money by purchasing a cookie-cutter system that is not designed specifically for their facility,” he cautions. “That invariably leads to disappointment in the performance of the system.”

He notes the University of Wisconsin Dairyland Initiative spreadsheet is a good reference tool for design and is available to trained consultants. A document explaining what information is needed to put together a design is available here:

Industry Contacts – The Dairyland Initiative

Several companies also manufacture systems, including ADC, Badgerland Supply and J&D Manufacturing. (Please note that these companies provide manufacturing for the system and typically not the installation.)

Dairy producers can anticipate spending between $1,000 and $5,000 to put a PPTV system into place, depending on the size of the barn. That cost includes the electrical work involved as well as hard costs for the fan and tube.

“I know cash flow can be a problem these days, but if you do the economic assessment, it’s really a pretty easy decision for dairies to make,” Middleton says.

For the economic piece, he suggests evaluating the dairy’s records and also considering indirect costs the dairy has likely experienced in recent years, such as early culling.

“When that animal has to go to the sale barn at 6 months of age, all that money the dairy invested is lost because they don’t get much money for her, not to mention the time and expense they incurred with her up to that point,” he notes. “My experience is that producers are really happy with these systems.”

Evaluate effectiveness over time. A PPTV system is only as good as the results it achieves. Middleton says while not all practitioners have access to equipment to directly test air bacterial counts, simple observations are often very helpful. Here are three steps he recommends.
1. Evaluate the fan to determine if dust build-up or other objects are impeding air output.

2. Check the tube for tears or ripped holes. Tears most commonly occur as the tube exits the fan shroud.

3. Consider the location of the fan and holes.

Dairies and Environmental Protection Can Be Compatible

Thu, 12 Nov 2020 05:59:11 GMT

Building trust in food begins with empowering farmers through one of the largest and most diverse conservation- and sustainability-focused public-private partnerships in our nation’s history: America’s Conservation Ag Movement. To find the latest news and resources related to the Movement, visit AgWeb.com/ACAM .

Twin Birch Dairy, Skaneateles, N.Y. - 2020 Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy Sustainability Award Winner

Nestled among million-dollar lakefront homes and between two lakes that supply drinking water to 400,000 people sits Twin Birch Dairy. Inspired by innovation and collaboration, Dirk Young has learned how to succeed in the dairy business while remaining a good neighbor.

For example, Young partnered with an environmental group to evaluate his farm’s impact on a local stream, demonstrating large dairy operations and environmental protection can be compatible. The findings? Water quality immediately downstream of his dairy was generally the same, if not slightly better than, upstream water quality.

Young relies on a combination of practices to maximize his operation’s resources. He built remote manure storage in 1999 and 2014. The storage site is 7,500' from his barn.

The operation added an anaerobic digester in 2003 and then upgraded in 2012 with biogas technology. It powers all the barns, houses and satellite facilities at Twin Birch and generates 225 kw of electricity per hour, or enough to power 170 homes for a day. The digester saves about $130,000 annually in electricity and $10,000 annually in water heating costs. Revenue from the sale of separated solids helps offset the capital cost of the digester.

Separated digester solids provide cow bedding, and liquids are transported to the storage site via an underground pipeline. Drag hoses spread liquid manure over 2,700 acres. “We have no heavy equipment on the roads. It’s very efficient, and our neighbors don’t smell it when we’re spreading,” Young says.

He credits his manure management system and application timing practices with saving him $180,000 per year in fertilizer costs for corn alone.

Following a 2007 manure spill, Young collaborated with the County SWCD and state department of environmental conservation to develop standard operating procedures to manage any future emergency on the farm.

On his crop ground, Young practices nutrient management, precision-feeding, no-till and strip cropping. He plants cover crops on nearly all of his acreage, has installed a silage leachate collection and treatment system and has branched into yield monitoring and narrow-row crops for forages.

Dairy Farmer Says Federal Support Could Increase Dairy Sustainability

Thu, 12 Nov 2020 05:58:47 GMT

Dairy producers are not strangers to sustainability. In fact, over the past several decades dairy producers have reduced the carbon footprint of a gallon of milk significantly. Still, the industry has committed to reaching the goal of net zero by 2050, a goal Indiana dairy producer Mike McCloskey says could be met sooner with federal support.

“We have committed in the dairy industry that we are going to go to net zero,” said McCloskey, chairman of the National Milk Producers Federation’s Environmental Issues Committee, in a hearing of the House Committee on Agriculture’s Subcommittee on Commodity Exchanges, Energy, and Credit. “We can get there with your support.”

The dairy industry has adopted an ambitious goal of becoming a carbon-neutral sector of the economy by 2050 through its Net-Zero Initiative, a partnership among farmers and the entire production chain. But with policies that encourage dairy farmers to widely adopt emissions-reduction technologies, such as anaerobic digesters, spur private investment and alleviate market uncertainty, the goal could likely be reached even sooner, McCloskey said.

During his testimony, McCloskey told the lawmakers about his experience installing the handful of methane digesters on his farm. He explained that digesters are a welcomed technology in the dairy industry, but the cost of installing a digester makes it cost prohibitive for many farms.

“There are currently 254 digesters operating on livestock farms in the U.S., of which 204 are on dairy farms,” he explained. “When we installed our digester, there were significantly fewer in operation and far less shared knowledge about biogas generation among farmers, cooperatives, USDA, EPA, digester engineers and energy companies to help get a digester project from concept to installation and profitability.”

McCloskey thanked the committee for incentivizing biogas production on farms and urged the lawmakers to continue helping producers generate biogas and improve their economic and environmental sustainability.

“The Biogas Opportunities Roadmap estimates that over 8,000 potential livestock farms, of which 2,704 are dairy operations, could host a biogas system, producing 13.1 billion kWh per year, or enough to power 1.089 million homes for a year. To meet this potential capacity, however, we must overcome a variety of financial and regulatory roadblocks.”

According to McCloskey, the primary impediment to on-farm digester adoption is the lack of financial incentives available to farmers.

“I strongly believe that once the proper incentives are in place, digesters will be adopted throughout the industry. It is the proper role of government to help facilitate early adoption to the point that economies of scale develop, technologies advance, and capital costs drop,” he said.

“Our industry has been significantly impacted by the uncertain farm economy (even before COVID-19), and digesters, which inherently entail long-term planning and significant capital costs, are simply out of reach for most farmers. Dairy farmers strive to be part of the solution to the climate and water quality challenges facing U.S. agriculture, but our voluntary efforts can only go so far without the continued support of Congress, USDA, DOE and EPA.”

McCloskey pointed out that digesters don’t have the same appeal for lawmakers as solar power seems to. USDA data shows that from 2002 to 2019, the agency made 631 investments in anaerobic digestion worth $198 million, compared to 6,179 in solar worth $2.93 billion and 696 in wind worth $468 million.

USDA has provided more than 10 times as much in grants, loans, loan guarantees and payments for solar production than it has for anaerobic digestion, according to McCloskey.

“Biogas production is representative of the comprehensive systems approach we are taking on our farms to work toward a goal of net-zero emissions,” he said. “The Net Zero Initiative is about each dairy farm – regardless of size, region, or production style – contributing what it can, where it can.”

To watch McCloskey’s full testimony, you can view it here .