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Young Carbon Farmers Case Study Carbon farming: feeding additives to dairy cows Montrose Dairy, VIC The Young Carbon Farmers project is supported by funding from the Australian Government Producers: Graeme and Gillian Nicoll Property: Montrose Dairy Location: South Gippsland, Victoria Property area: 95 hectares used for dairy Enterprises: Dairy (280 cows) Soil type: Clay loam Rainfall: 1,000mm KEY POINTS Feeding high fat/oil supplements to milking cows reduces methane emissions by speeding the passage of feed through the rumen, and therefore the enteric fermentation that releases methane. These high fat/oil supplements can also increase milk yield. Australian dairy farmers can now earn Australian carbon credit units under the Carbon Farming Initiative by implementing dairy feed additives projects. This case study is one in a series showcasing how Australian producers are successfully using best management practices to reduce the impact of climate variability, reduce their greenhouse gas emissions and improve productivity.
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Carbon farming: feeding additives to dairy cows · Carbon farming: feeding additives to dairy ... cattle and sheep ... a CFI project should download the Dietary Fats Calculator tool

Jun 05, 2018

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Page 1: Carbon farming: feeding additives to dairy cows · Carbon farming: feeding additives to dairy ... cattle and sheep ... a CFI project should download the Dietary Fats Calculator tool

Young Carbon Farmers Case Study

Carbon farming: feeding additives to dairy cowsMontrose Dairy, VIC

The Young Carbon Farmers project is supported by funding from the Australian Government

Producers: Graeme and Gillian Nicoll Property: Montrose DairyLocation: South Gippsland, Victoria Property area: 95 hectares used for dairyEnterprises: Dairy (280 cows)Soil type: Clay loamRainfall: 1,000mm

KEY POINTS• Feedinghighfat/oilsupplementstomilkingcowsreducesmethaneemissionsbyspeedingthepassage offeedthroughtherumen,andthereforetheentericfermentationthatreleasesmethane.

• Thesehighfat/oilsupplementscanalsoincreasemilkyield.

• Australian dairy farmers can nowearnAustraliancarboncreditunitsundertheCarbonFarmingInitiative byimplementingdairyfeedadditivesprojects.

This case study is one in a series showcasing how Australian producers are successfully using best management practices

to reduce the impact of climate variability, reduce their greenhouse gas emissions and improve productivity.

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DEFINITIONS

Climate variability means natural alterations in the earth’s climate1, or the shorter term (daily, seasonal, year-to-year) variations in weather. Australia has a highly variable climate, which includes cycles of wet and dry periods, and droughts. El Niño (dry) or La Niña (wet) events are part of climate variability.

Climate change means the long-term changes in average weather patterns, such as the rise in global average air temperatures. It involves a persistent series of unusual or anomalous weather events, rather than simply one or two unusual weather events. The World Meteorological Organisation describes it as when events that used to be rare occur more frequently (e.g. summertime maximum air temperatures increasingly break records each year), or vice-versa (e.g. duration and thickness of seasonal lake ice decreasing with time)2.

CO2-equivalent is a way of measuring the global warming potential of greenhouse gases such as methane and nitrous oxide compared to carbon dioxide (CO2). For example, nitrous oxide has a global warming potential of 298, which means that one tonne of nitrous oxide in the air has the same effect as 298 tonnes of carbon dioxide over a 100-year time frame3.

1.http://www.csiro.au/Outcomes/Climate/Cl imate-Change-Book/Chapter-2-Climate-and-greenhouse-gases.aspx2 .h t t p : / / w w w. a p h . g o v. a u / A b o u t _Parliament/Parliamentary_Departments/Parliamentary_Library/Browse_by_Topic/ClimateChange/theBasic/climate http://www.wmo.int/pages/prog/wcp/ccl/faqs.html3 .h t t p : / / w w w. a p h . g o v. a u / A b o u t _Parliament/Parliamentary_Departments/Parliamentary_Library/Browse_by_Topic/ClimateChange/theBasic/greenhouse

Carbon farming: feeding additives to dairy cows

Graeme and Gillian Nicoll, Montrose Dairy

Background

Victoriandairy farmersGraemeandGillianNicoll firstmeasured theirdairy’sgreenhouseemissionsback in2010,withtheresultsconfirmingthat60percentoftheiremissionscamefrommethaneproducedbytheir280dairycows.

Recognisingmethaneemissionsasalossofenergyintheirfarmingsystem,theyensuredtheywereminimisingtheirlossesbyfollowingindustrybestpractices–andalsotryingsomenewideas.

MorerecentdevelopmentsareopeningupwaysfordairyfarmersliketheNicollstoreducemethaneemissionsfromanimalsatthesametimeasimprovingproductivity.Forthefirsttime,AustraliandairyfarmerscanearnAustraliancarboncredit unitsunder theCarbonFarming Initiative (CFI)by feedinghigh fat supplements tomilkingcowstoreducemethaneemissions.

Methane (CH4) used to be called ‘marsh gas’. It is produced during a digestive process called entericfermentation in ruminantanimals includingcattleandsheep, inwhichcarbohydratesarebrokendown intosimplemoleculesforabsorptionintothebloodstream.Agrazingdairycowtypicallyburpsupto600gramsofmethaneeveryday.

InAustralia,methanefromruminantsaccountsforapproximately10percentofAustralia’stotalgreenhousegasemissions4.Methaneis25timesmorepotentthancarbondioxideintermsofitsimpactasagreenhousegas.

However, theproblemwithdairy farmmethaneemissions isn’tonly theirenvironmental impact.The lossofmethaneisadirectlossofenergyfromthefarmingsystem.Themethaneburpedbydairycattleisequivalenttothoseanimalslosingbetween25and40daysofgrazingperyear,orupto10percentofthetotalenergyconsumedbyeachanimal5.

DrRichardEckard,AssociateProfessorandDirectorofthePrimaryIndustriesClimateChallengesCentre,hasbeenresearchingstrategiesforreducingentericmethaneandnitrousoxidefromintensivegrazingsystems.Oneofhisaimshasbeentodeveloppracticalfeedingstrategiesthatdairyfarmerscouldimplementtocurbmethaneemissions.

According to Richard, the loss of methane from dairy systems is a significant inefficiency for farmers.Implementing strategies for reducing such losses are likely to have significant benefits on top of reducinggreenhousegasemissions.

“Whilesomeofthesolutionswe’reexaminingrequiremuchmoreresearch,somecanbeimplementedbydairyfarmersimmediatelyandarelikelytobecost-effectiveintheirownright,”saidRichard.

“Thefourmostpromisingareasforreductionofmethaneemissionsthatcanbeputintoplacerelativelyeasilyarebetterfeedingpractices,geneticimprovements,moreefficientproductionmethodsandincreasedproductivity.”

Better feeding practices

Oneofthemostimmediatestepsthatdairyfarmerscantaketorecoverthelostenergyofmethaneemissionsisto improveforagequality.Thishelpsenhancefeedconversionefficiencyandallowsfeedtopassthroughtherumen(thelargefirstcompartmentofthestomach)morequickly,reducingtheamountofentericmethanereleased.

Inadditiontoimprovingdigestibility,addingfatand/oroilproductstocattlefeedcanalsoreducegreenhouseemissions.ThismethodologyisthefirstCFIinitiativetofocusonreducingmethaneemissionsthroughimprovingthedigestiveprocessesofcows.

Theoil/fatsupplementsbeingfedtocowsaregenerallyby-productssuchaswholecottonseedmeal,cold-pressedcanolameal,brewer’sgrainsandhominymeal.Theadditivesaremosteffectivewhencorrectlytimed.

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“Duringthespringperiodinmostdairyareas,pasturesarenaturallyhighinoilandnutrition,soaddingadditionalfatwon’thaveagreatimpactatthattime,”saidRichard.

“Insummerthenaturaloilinpasturesfallstoaround1-1.5%andthatopensuptheopportunityaddhighfatfeedsupplementstothedietsofdairycattle,whichwillreducemethaneemissionsduringthattime.”

Theresultsofhighfatadditivesbeingfedunderthecorrectconditionshavebeenillustratedinfarmtrials,whichfoundareductioninmethaneemissions,particularlywhenpastureswerelowinnutritionalvalue.

“Foreveryonepercentofoiladdedtoaruminant’sdietittranslatestoa3.5percentreductioninmethaneemissions,”saidDrEckard.

“Howevertheoilhasotherimportantbenefitstoo,bringingenergyintothedietandimprovingmilkproduction.Wholecottonseed,forexample,alsoincreasedmilkproductionby15percent,milkfatby19percentandmilkproteinby16percent.”6

Montrose Dairy is situated close to the coast in the foothills of the Hoddle Range in Victoria.

Experiences of feeding oil to dairy cattle

GraemeNicollsayshebegansupplementinghisdairyherd’spasture-basedfeedsystemwithusedvegetableoilbackin2005.

“Webuyusedvegetableoillocallyandaddtothefeedrations,mainlyasawayofreducingdustinthemilkingshed,”Graemesaid.“It’scommonaroundhere–lotsofdairyfarmersdoitforthatreason.

“It’sarelativelycheapenergysourceandweaccountforitinthecow’sdietarybudgets–thoughitisgettingabitmoreexpensiveasmorepeopledoit.Butwearelimitedbyhowmuchwecanfeedandatwhattimeoftheyear–soaddingvegetableoilsdoesn’thaveabigimpactonourproduction.”

Graeme says that while hewouldn’t add fats to his cows’ diets solely to reducemethane emissions, he is serious aboutminimisingtheoverallemissionsoftheenterpriseandthegreenhouseemissionintensity(emissionsperunitofproduction).

“Manyoftheexistingbestmanagementpracticesinthedairyindustryimproveefficiencyandreducegreenhousegasemissions,soitmakessensetoadoptthem,”hesaid.

“Webelievethebiggestgainscomefromnotkeepingpoorcowsintheherd,ensuringourcowslivelongandproductivelives,feedinghighqualitydiets,andbeinggoodmanagersofourfertiliserapplications,”hesaid.

“Whereweseesignificantoutcomes,intermsofgreenhousegasemissions,isinthemanagementofourherdfertility–gettingourcowsincalfandnothavingwastecowsonthefarm.

“Havinganefficientsystemissomethingwe’realwaysfocusingoninallfacetsofourbusiness–notwastingnutrientsinourcows’dietsthroughtonotwastingnutrientsthroughfertiliser.

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“Researchshowsthatthesemethodsdowork–followingthesepracticesonfarmisaprovenwaytoreducegreenhousegasemissions.”

The next steps for interested farmers

FarmerswhoareinterestedinundertakingaCFIprojectshoulddownloadtheDietaryFatsCalculatortooltoassessthefeasibility.Thetoolallowsforaneasyestimateofwhatkindofabatementaprojectcoulddeliver.Samplepagesandbuiltinguidancetakeusersthroughastep-by-stepprocessforusingthetoolandunderstandingtheresults.Ifthefeasibilityassessmentispositive,the‘Undertakingadairyfeedadditivesprojectguide’setsoutthenextsteps.

Richardsaidthatresearchiscontinuingintowaysforlivestockproducerstoreducemethaneemissionsfromtheiranimals,withpromisingpossibilitiesexistinginbreedingforimprovedfeedconversionefficiency,reducingnumbersofunproductiveanimalsonfarmsandextendedlactation(cowscalvingevery18monthsratherthaneveryyear)aswellasusingdietaryadditives.

“Manyofthesestrategiesarebestsuitedtointensiveproductionsystemslikedairying,ascowsarecontainedtwiceadayanditisrelativelyeasytoaltertheirdiets,”hesaid.

“Wecanseethatthrougharangeofbreeding,feedingandanimalmanagementstrategies,Australianlivestockproducershavedoneagoodjobinreducingtheirgreenhousegasemissionintensities–meaningtheiremissionsperunitofproduction–overrecentyears.

“Theamountofmilkproducedperlitreofmethaneproducedbythedairyindustryhasimproved.Thechallengenowistoreducethenetamountofmethanebeingproducedbytheindustryaswell.”

Montrose Dairy

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4 - http://www.csiro.au/Outcomes/Food-and-Agriculture/livestock-methane-emissions.aspx5 - Eckard, R. J., C. Grainger, and C. A. M. De Klein. “Options for the abatement of methane and nitrous oxide from ruminant production: A review.” Livestock Science 130.1 (2010): 47-56.6 - Moate, P. J., Williams, S. R. O., Grainger, C., Hannah, M. C., Ponnampalam, E. N. & Eckard, R. J. (2011). Influence of cold-pressed canola, brewers grains and hominy meal as dietary supplements suitable for reducing enteric methane emissions from lactating dairy cows. Animal Feed Science and Technology 166-167: 254-264.

For more information

About the Carbon Farming Initiative:www.cleanenergyregulator.gov.au/Carbon-Farming-Initiative/About-the-initiative

Five steps for participating in the Carbon Farming Initiative: www.cleanenergyregulator.gov.au/Carbon-Farming-Initiative/How-does-it-work

The transition from the CFI to the ERF:www.cleanenergyregulator.gov.au/Emissions-Reduction-Fund/The-Emissions-Reduction-Fund-and-other-schemes/Transitioning-from-the-CFI-to-the-ERF

Department of Agriculture’s ERF and CFI page:www.agriculture.gov.au/climatechange/cfi

Guide to undertaking a dairy feed additives project:www.cleanenergyregulator.gov.au/Carbon-Farming-Initiative/Fact-sheets-FAQs-and-guidelines/Publications

Fact sheet on CFI methodology: Feeding dairy additives to milking cows:www.environment.gov.au/climate-change/emissions-reduction-fund/cfi/publications/factsheet-dairy-additives-milking-cows

CFI Dietary fat calculator: http://www.environment.gov.au/climate-change/emissions-reduction-fund/cfi/methodologies/determinations/reducing-greenhouse-gas-emissions-milking-cows

Sefton & Associates [email protected]

YoungCarbonFarmerswww.futurefarmers.com.au/young-carbon-farmers

FutureFarmersNetworkwww.futurefarmers.com.auadmin@futurefarmers.com.au

YoungCarbonFarmers isanationalprojectcreatedbyruralcommunicationspecialistsSefton&Associates,withtheFutureFarmersNetwork,andissupportedbyfundingfromtheAustralianGovernment.

© SeftonandAssociates-December2014 5

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TheCarbonFarmingInitiative(CFI)allowsfarmersandotherlandmanagerstoearncarboncreditsbystoringcarbonorreducinggreenhousegasemissionsontheland.ParticipantscangeneratecarboncreditsbysettingupaprojectunderanapprovedCFImethodologydetermination,whichsetsouttherulesfortheactivity.

ParticipationintheCFIinvolvesfivesteps:1. Planningaproject2. ApplyingtoparticipateintheCFI3. Applyingtohaveyourprojectdeclaredasaneligibleoffsetsproject4. Reportingandcrediting5. Participatinginthemarket.

ManyofAustralia’sdairy farmerscouldusethismethodologytogeneratecarboncreditsbyfeedinghighfatsupplementstomilkingcows.Eligiblefarmsarethosewheremilkingcowsarepasturegrazedforatleastninemonthseachyear.

Themethodologyinvolvesfeedingdairycowsselectedhighfatfeedsupplements.Thesesupplementsenablebetterdigestionoflowerqualityfeedduringdrierseasonsandresultinlowermethaneemissions.Thesupplementsarecanolameal,cold-pressedcanolameal,hominymeal,brewer’sgrainanddrieddistiller’sgrain,whicharetheby-productsofotheragriculturalproductionprocesses.

ThemethodologyissupportedbytheonlineCFIdietaryfatscalculator,whichsimplifiesabatementcalculationsandmakesiteasierfordairyfarmerstoreportandreceivecredits.

Projectsneedtomeetthefollowingrequirements:1. ThemilkingherdmustbeinAustralia.2. Milkingcowsmustbepasturegrazedforatleastninemonthseachyear.3. Theconcentrationoffatinthedietofthemilkingherdmustnotexceed70gramsoffatperkilogramofdrymatterintakeinanyseason.4. ProjectsmustcalculateabatementusingtheCFIdietaryfatscalculator.

Farmersmustcollectdataandusethecalculatorusingtheinstructionsinthemethodology.Thenumberofmilkingcowsinthemilkingherdmustbetrackedandprojectsmusthavedailyrecordsofthemilkproductionoftheirherdandseasonalrecordsofthemilkingherd’sdiet(includingsupplements).It’simportanttokeeprecords,becausetheywillbeusedtoassesstheabatementthathasbeenachievedbytheprojectanddemonstratethatithasbeenimplementedandmonitoredproperly.ProjectsmustbeauditedbyaregisteredCFIauditor.

TheGovernmenthascommittedtointroducingtheEmissionsReductionFund(ERF),whichwillreplacetheCFI.ThroughtheEmissionsReductionFundauctionarrangements, theGovernmentwillpurchaseAustraliancarboncreditunits fromexistingCarbonFarmingInitiativeprojectsthatarecompetitiveatanauction.ThiswillallowexistingparticipantsintheCarbonFarmingInitiativetosecureareturnfromeligibleprojects.ExistingCarbonFarmingInitiativeprojectswillautomaticallyberegisteredundertheEmissionsReductionFund.

All images supplied by Graeme and Gillian Nicolls

Breakout article

How to claim carbon credits as part of a dairy feed additives project

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