Dairy - General
Digesters create renewable energy, better manage manure, produce a steady supply bedding, and lessen their dairy’s environmental footprint by reducing air emissions and odor.
As a 21st century farm manager, you’ve invested in high-tech options. But what about your farm office?
Could agriculture face a Southwest-type meltdown?
Parts of Iosco and Ogemaw counties in Michigan have been designated by officials as a “Potential High-Risk Area” for bovine tuberculosis after a white-tailed deer in Alcona County tested positive for the disease.
The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations pegs the global dairy sector contribution to greenhouse gas emissions (GHC) at 2.7%. If you add in the meat production of the sector, the contribution climbs to 4%.
Washington State’s Snohomish River just downstream from French Slough is once again meeting state water quality standards for fecal coliform and dissolved oxygen, according to Washington State Department of Agriculture (WSDA) testing. French Slough was directly impacted by a large manure spill last week and continues to show evidence of water quality problems.
In New Mexico, where groundwater is the major source of water for humans as well as farms, the state’s dairy industry has been negotiating with the Environment Department to determine the specifics of new water-quality regulations.
Federal water supplies to agricultural producers in California’s lower San Joaquin Valley have been increased to 30%, Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar announced Thursday.
A 21-million-gallon capacity dairy waste lagoon has failed, releasing an unknown quantity of manure into farm fields near the town of Snohomish, Wash.
A Cargill-built and -operated anaerobic digester on the Bettencourt Dairy B6 Farm in Jerome, Idaho, is converting manure from the farm’s 6,000 cows into 1 million kilowatt-hours of electricity a month.
While milk might have a higher greenhouse gas score than other beverages such as orange juice or soy drink, it brings with it a much denser package of nutrients. And when that fact is considered, milk provides the most nutrition with the least environmental impact.
New project will add 100 jobs to Wisconsin; Will break ground November 2010
As neighbors drive past your dairy, does your farm sign convey that you are trustworthy, caring and responsible?
Thursday September 23, 2010WASHINGTON -- We ve always played with our food -- even before we knew about genes or how to change them.For thousands of years, humans have practiced selective breeding -- pairing the beefiest bull with the healthiest heifers to start a new herd. That concept was refined to develop plant hybridization and artificial insemination. Today we ve got tastier corn on sturdier stalks, bigger turkeys and meatier cattle.Now comes an Atlantic salmon that is genetically engineered to grow twice as fast as a regular salmon. If U.S. regulators approve it, the fish would be the first such scientifically altered animal to reach the dinner plate.Scientists have already determined that it s safe to eat. They are weighing other factors, including environmental risks, after two days of intense hearings.
Bonus content: Comments Draft EIS To submit comments The 60-day public comment period for the draft environmental impact statement (EIS) on Roundup Ready (RR) alfalfa ends on Feb. 16. Even so, there’s still some uncertainty about when USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) will finally give the go-ahead to put the genetically engineered crop back on the market.
The 60-day public comment period for the draft environmental impact statement (EIS) on Roundup Ready (RR) alfalfa ends on Feb. 16. Even so, there’s still some uncertainty about when USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) will finally give the go-ahead to put the genetically engineered crop back on the market.
A three-year, $1.6 million project on six Wisconsin dairy operations is shedding light on management practices that control odors and emissions—and those that don’t.
Bonus content: More on re-engineered alfalfa: Overview Improving protein utilization alfalfa breeders are looking to improve fiber digestibility and slow down the rate of protein digestibility in the cow’s rumen Consortium for Alfalfa Improvement
Do neighbors grumble about your farming practices when you’re out of earshot? Those who had a chance to anonymously register their complaints recently in a New York State survey didn’t—much.
Alfalfa breeders are looking to improve fiber digestibility and slow down the rate of protein digestibility in the cow’s rumen
Dairy Farmers of America, Inc.'s (DFA) board of directors and management are taking a series of proactive steps to emphasize its commitment to proper treatment of animals.
The international herd improvement organizations NCBC and CRV have launched a joint venture to help customers who run grass-based farming systems.
The international herd improvement organizations NCBC and CRV have launched a joint venture to help customers who run grass-based farming systems.
The dairy industry was addressing global warming long before that was cool. We’re producing 59% more milk with 64% fewer cows than in 1944. We use 77% less feed, 65% less water, 90% less land, produce 76% less manure and have a 63% smaller carbon footprint per gallon of milk produced than we did 66 years ago.
Dairy Today’s Dollars and Sense contributors discuss their farms’ approach to reducing carbon footprints.