Dairy Cares, along with the California dairy sector, has officially announced a major milestone in planet-smart dairy farming.
According to certain reports, the state’s dairy farms will achieve, this year, an annual reduction of 5 million metric tons of methane. They are expected to do so on the back of various on-farm projects that, on their part, are geared towards improving manure management and availing continuous gains in milk production efficiency, as the state’s dairy herd continues to shrink.
More on the same would reveal how achieving the stated 5 million tons of annual reduction means California’s dairy farms are now more than two-thirds of the way to deliver their share of the area’s world-leading target i.e. reducing livestock methane emissions by 40 percent below 2013 levels by 2030.
“California has long led the nation in the production of milk and dairy foods,” said Michael Boccadoro, Executive Director of Dairy Cares. “Milk and dairy products are our state’s most valuable agricultural commodity, generating more the $8 billion in annual cash receipts, providing quality year-round jobs, and nourishing lives with wholesome and nutritious foods. Maintaining this leadership and commitment to local communities while successfully reducing 5 million tons of methane is a remarkable feat. Our farmers are setting an example for the world of what can accomplished through sustainable partnerships.”
Taking a deeper view of all the strategies California dairy farms have employed to achieve this historic methane reduction, we begin from the methods revolving around methane capture and utilization.
You see, California has around 168 dairy digesters presently operating with about 75 more projects in development. Digesters capture, in essence, methane from manure storage before getting it to play the role of a carbon-negative transportation fuel or any other renewable energy iteration.
Moving forward, with projects under development coming online, methane from manure is expected to be captured across 270 dairy farms, thus creating either renewable electricity, renewable natural gas, or hydrogen fuel. As for estimated total annual reductions from operating projects to date, they reportedly stand at 2.53 million MTCO2e, if we go by the word of California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) as well as digester developers.
Next up, we must dig deeper into the stated methane avoidance strategies. Using these strategies, California dairy farms have, till date, implemented more than 128 alternative manure management projects, with another 65 projects funded and in development. These projects include manure separators, compost pack barns, manure scrape and vacuum systems, as well as other practices that avoid methane creation from manure management operations.
All in all, estimated total annual reductions from operating projects till date here understood to exceed 254,000 MTCO2e, according to information from the CDFA.
Another detail worth a mention is rooted in California’s focus on milk production efficiency and attrition. California dairy farms continue to shrink their environmental footprint by producing more milk (or consistent total milk volume) with fewer cows.
Even if we look past that, milk production efficiencies are being generated in many ways, including improved animal nutrition, selective breeding, and enhanced animal care
The estimated total annual reductions achieved, up until now, in this area are more than 13 million MTCO2e, based on herd numbers from the California Air Resources Board’s California Dairy and Livestock Database.
Among other things, we ought to mention how, administered by CDFA, livestock methane reduction efforts are supported through the Dairy Digester Research and Development Program (DDRDP) and the Alternative Manure Management Program (AMMP).
We also need to acknowledge that, using digesters alone, California dairy farms are currently generating enough clean, renewable energy to fuel more than 17,000 vehicles daily. This comes from both the digester projects that create renewable natural gas (enough to fuel more than 3,500 transit buses) and the digester projects that create renewable electricity (enough to power more than 13,500 electric vehicles).
“While many countries and jurisdictions across the globe have pledged to reduce methane, California dairy farmers have demonstrated action and great success,” said Charles “Chuck” Ahlem, Chair of Dairy Cares. “This work has been done through tremendous partnership with the state, displaying an effective model for other regions to follow.”
