Dairy farmers in Utah get a lot of questions about how they are working to steward the land while feeding the world safe and nutritious food. As we work to protect iconic places, like the Great Salt Lake, Utahns want to know what dairy farmers are doing to help.
From 2007 to 2017, producing a gallon of milk required 30% less water, 21% less land, and a 19% smaller carbon footprint. In total, the US Dairy industry is responsible for just 2% of total US greenhouse gas emissions and has made a 2050 Net Zero Initiative commitment. In addition to achieving greenhouse gas neutrality, this goal calls for optimizing water use, maximizing water recycling and improving water quality. Let’s look at the steps dairy farmers have taken to make their farms more sustainable.
On dairy farms across the country, the biggest opportunity lies in manure management and water use. Both are key components for the industry to address. First, let’s consider the most important part of this equation, dairy cows. As ruminant animals, dairy cows eat foods that humans can’t digest, like hay, millrun (a byproduct of wheat production), cotton seed meal, and beet pulp. When cows eat, the food gets fermented by bacteria in the rumen. This fermentation process creates methane when cows burp. Scientists and nutritionists are actively developing feed additives and adjusting cows’ diets to reduce methane production.
Much like a registered dietitian manages a human’s diet, ruminant nutritionists balance the cow’s diet based on carbohydrate, fat, protein and moisture content. One benefit to us is that cows serve as recyclers – consuming products that would otherwise go to a landfill, where they would off-gas 300 times the amount of methane. Cows can benefit from these products too, turning grasses that are indigestible to humans into high-quality milk protein.
Another area of methane production on a dairy farm comes from manure. Scientists just across the border, in Idaho, lead the way in manure management research, determining best practices to reduce emissions from manure storage and handling. Some farmers have chosen to partner with energy companies, adding their manure to an anaerobic digester to produce renewable energy. Other farmers use this nutrient-rich product to fertilize crops, adding nitrogen, potassium and phosphorus back into the soil. Composted manure can either be applied directly to fields or sold as a soil amendment for residential or commercial use. Adding composted manure to soil improves the soil moisture holding capacity, water infiltration, aggregate stability, organic soil matter and soil organic carbon.
Water is often a concern, especially in the West. It is within a dairy farmer’s best interest to help preserve this fundamental resource. On a dairy, water is reused 3-5 times, for tasks like cooling milk through a heat exchanger then cleaning stalls before it is applied to fields as irrigation water. Farmers are continuously improving their irrigation practices to reduce water usage. Placing sprinkler lines closer to the crop reduces evaporation and decreases overall water use, while shifting from flood irrigation to sprinkler irrigation can also use less water. Water-saving technologies are in high demand, and there is a growing body of research and development that will help grow the food we need to feed the world, while also conserving water.
When it comes to soil and water quality, dairy farmers steward crop land that can help protect our waterways. Many dairies grow plants to feed their cows, and farmers have been double cropping for several years to improve soil health and reduce nutrient run-off. Double cropping is a practice whereby two or more crops are grown in the same field in the same year. The root systems from multiple crops, especially over the winter, help anchor the soil and reduce erosion, while preserving organic matter (good soil organisms) and improving water retention. Growing cover crops and perennial crops also keep nutrients in the soil. Where it makes sense, farmers may also practice low or no-till to improve soil quality. When tractors till, they agitate the soil and carbon can be released into the atmosphere. By minimizing tillage, carbon is sequestered and stored in the soil. While this does not work in all situations or with all crops, farmers constantly work to improve their soil and water quality. These are just a few examples of how dairy farmers practice environmental stewardship as they work to provide for themselves and future generations.
What would happen if we removed animal agriculture from our environment? A recent study by researchers at Virginia Tech and the US Department of Agriculture put this idea to the test. Their modeling suggests that if dairy cows were removed from the U.S., greenhouse gas emissions would drop by 0.7%. With this relatively small drop comes a drastic reduction in the essential nutrients that milk provides. When we contemplate the impact of greenhouse gas emissions on food production, it is important to consider the nutrient value of the food, in addition to pure calories. Dairy offers a unique nutrient package packed with protein, carbohydrates, vitamin D, calcium and potassium at an affordable price. Eliminating dairy would mean that we need to produce several other foods to fill those nutrient gaps.
As consumers, many of us are looking for actions to reduce our own carbon footprint, and it can be tricky to know what steps to take to make an impact. Since we all eat, food choices are an obvious target; however, when values like local, organic and planet-friendly compete with each other, it can be hard to make decisions related to the impact of foods on the planet. When it comes to dairy, it doesn’t have to be either or. Choosing dairy can be both, good for your health and good for the planet and local communities.
While there is still much work to be done to reach 2050 carbon neutrality goals, the dairy industry’s commitment to continuous improvement is paving the way. The next time you go to the store and wander the dairy aisle, you can make a more informed decision regarding the nutritious value of dairy foods, knowing what local dairy farmers are doing now and for the future.
