Manure and Nutrient Management

A New Chapter for a Once Notorious Oregon 'Mega-Dairy' Site Draws Attention to CAFO Permits

Thu, 12 Sep 2024 15:42:17 GMT

Situated near Boardman, Oregon, a once infamous ‘mega-dairy’ site has embarked on a new journey, signaling a shift away from its controversial past. Known for its significant environmental violations and hefty fines, the site is now undergoing a transformation that makes its return to dairy farming highly unlikely. The current owner, Canyon Farms, is in the process of decommissioning the site as a Confined Animal Feeding Operation (CAFO).

The Troubled Past of Lost Valley Farm
Back in 2017, Lost Valley Farm received a CAFO permit from the Oregon Department of Agriculture (ODA) and the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) to house 30,000 dairy cattle. The farm’s problems began almost immediately. Owner Greg te Velde jumped the gun by housing cows before the necessary facilities were completed and without finalizing a waste management plan.

By the following year, Lost Valley Farm was facing severe repercussions for its mismanagement. The farm accumulated more than 200 violations, resulting in the ODA improving $187,000 in fines for issues such as overflowing manure lagoons and leaky waste storage systems. Unable to withstand the regulatory and financial pressure, Lost Valley eventually filed for bankruptcy.

Changing Hands and Continued Challenges
After its bankruptcy, the farm changed ownership several times. When Easterday Dairy took over, the site continued to struggle with regulatory compliance, ultimately leading to its closure in 2019, and the site was left without any cattle.

In 2023, Canyon Farms, managed by Fall Line Capital – a California-based venture capital firm – acquired the site. This new ownership brought a different approach, taking significant steps to address past violations and move closer to a fresh start. In April of the current year, Canyon Farms submitted an application to decommission the site as a CAFO. As the decommissioning process continues, the future of the former Lost Valley Farm site remains open-ended.

Oregon’s Commitment to CAFO Compliance
It’s important to note that the actions of one farm should not tarnish the reputation of others. Tami Kerr, executive director of the Oregon Dairy Farmers Association (ODFA), emphasizes this point, highlighting Oregon’s progressive approach to CAFO compliance.

“Oregon was one of the first states to adopt the CAFO program over thirty years ago as a progressive measure to protect water quality,” she explains

“The Oregon CAFO program maintains some of the highest compliance rates in the nation and is something we are incredibly proud of.

Oregon’s dairy farmers adhere strictly to environmental regulations and prioritize sustainable farming practices. These farmers are committed to protecting the environment and the health of their communities.”

A Future Under Scrutiny
Any future developments at the former Lost Valley Farm site will unfold under increased environmental awareness and community scrutiny. Despite the challenges faced by Lost Valley Farm, Kerr notes that Oregon dairy farms significantly contribute to the local economy, providing jobs and supporting rural communities.

“Our farmers are integral members of these communities, deeply invested in their well-being and committed to sustainable farming practices,” she concludes.

As Canyon Farms navigates the process of decommissioning the site, the story of this former ‘mega-dairy’ serves as a reminder of the importance of regulatory compliance and sustainable farming practices. Whether the future holds the promise of renewal or reinvention, one thing is certain: the past will weigh heavily in shaping the road ahead.

YouTube Michigan Dairy Farm Star Showcases His Farm Messages to Thousands

Mon, 07 Aug 2023 17:37:14 GMT

There is a reason why Michigan dairy farmer Kip Siegler’s YouTube channel is growing. His upbeat personality and his ability to show viewers firsthand what it is like to farm in fast-paced videos resonates well with his audience and has resulted in more than 42,000 subscribers.

Siegler kicked off his YouTube channel back in 2019 after seeing his nieces and nephews captivated by YouTube videos over the Christmas holiday.

“I thought to myself, ‘Man, I think I can do that,’” he said, sharing that his most successful video showcases them chopping hay.

The goal of starting his YouTube channel was to reach people who don’t know much about farming, but today, with nearly 10 million YouTube views, a high percentage of the viewers is the 65-plus crowd.

“Guys are interested in how we make it as a relatively small family farm, and I try to show them that we are in it for the long haul and the goal is to pass this onto the next generation,” he says.

(Farm Journal)

Siegler Dairy Farm

The farm behind the growing YouTube channel is Siegler Dairy Farm, located in Imlay City, Mich., owned by Kip, his father, Jeff, and his brothers, Greg and Mark. The farm began in 1952 and today they milk 200 cows twice daily and farm around 2,000 acres.

Siegler enlisted in the Army after high school and shared his parents didn’t really talk about him coming back to the farm and encouraged him and his brothers to do other things first. After serving for three and half years, Siegler felt the inkling to come back to the family farm.

(Farm Journal)

Today, he talks openly about the challenges that face his Michigan dairy farm, including high feed costs, but Siegler says that transitioning the farm from one generation to the next is also a big challenge that isn’t talked about much on farms.

“We just transitioned the farm to me and my brothers and I think it’s important to continue this conversation about where we want the farm to go on from here,” he says.

Siegler YouTube video, “10 reasons family farms fail,” resonated well with his audience.

“I try to be realistic as possible,” he says. “It’s so easy to push this topic [succession planning] under the rug and not talk about it. You need someone in the middle that has no stake in the game and it’s best if it’s not a lawyer.”

(Farm Journal)

Outlining the farm’s long-term goals has helped the Siegler family with their recent succession planning transition.

“We want the kids to have a chance at the farm,” he says. “In order for that to happen, everybody’s going to have to sacrifice and you’re not going to make a plethora of money. You’re going to reinvest back to the farm to allow it to continue to the next generation.”

And that is what excites Siegler the most— bringing on the next generation. His nephew, Lonnie helps on the farm and the older generations strive to be leaders, teaching him the ropes.

(Farm Journal)

“That’s the circle of life, right there,” Siegler says. “That is how we keep the family farm going.”

To learn more about Siegler Dairy Farm, go to (399) Kip Siegler Farming - YouTube

Dairyland Labs Offers New Manure Testing Options

Fri, 30 Jun 2023 15:06:24 GMT

Dairyland Laboratories, Inc. of Arcadia, Wis. announces new manure evaluation services for dairy producers and nutritionists.

The new Manure Select Package includes dry matter, aNDF, aNDFom, uNDFom240, starch, and ash. Additionally, the lab’s previous Fecal Starch Kit is being replaced with a new Manure Kit.

Manure analysis can provide telling insights into what nutrients actually are being digested in a ration. Specifically, the Manure Select Package can be useful for:

Performance diagnostics
Feed efficiency evaluation
Ration change monitoring
Evaluation of new feed-additive performance
Monitoring mixer efficiency and feed delivery; and
Monitoring changes in starch digestion over time

The Manure Select reports delivered by Dairyland Laboratories include a typical 90% range for each of the factors evaluated. These data provide a point of comparison for results. Multiple evaluations over time, compared to a baseline sample for the herd or group, can help evaluate changes in feed additives; mixing and delivery procedures; or evolving feedstuffs characteristics during fermentation and storage.

Also included with the testing options is a new Manure Sample Information Sheet . For more information, refer to this Manure Select reference page , or visit the Dairyland Laboratories website .

For more on nutrient management, read:

Six Ways to Help Preweaned Dairy Calves Succeed in Group Housing

Fri, 24 Feb 2023 22:20:20 GMT

Group housing for preweaned calves has gained traction on U.S. dairy farms in recent years. Improvements in animal behavior and well-being, the potential for reduced labor costs and the opportunity to manage workloads more effectively are benefits often cited as reasons to adopt the practice.

The potential downsides are just as real and center on adverse health issues, such as the increased potential for scours and bovine respiratory disease (BRD).

That doesn’t mean group housing is a bad practice — there is no one-size-fits-all right way to raise calves. What it does mean is dairy producers need to evaluate their management practices to minimize the potential for negative outcomes, according to Theresa Ollivett, DVM, University of Wisconsin School of Veterinary Medicine.

“Indoor group housing exponentially exacerbates current weaknesses within the system,” Ollivett explains. “(Producers) need to be consistently better at everything in order to make group housing work. Abundant vaccinations and metaphylaxis are not the answers.”¹

Factors for consideration to improve outcomes in a group housing system include colostrum management, group composition and dynamics, nutritional management as well as early disease detection, according to Sandra Godden, DVM, and Whitney Knauer, DVM, University of Minnesota, College of Veterinary Medicine.²

Godden and Ollivett addressed best management practices for preweaned calves in group housing during the 2021 American Association of Bovine Practitioners (AABP) annual conference. The following six points are a summary of information they presented during the event.

1. COLOSTRUM MANAGEMENT IS A CORNERSTONE FOR EARLY CALF HEALTH.

In Figure 1, Godden outlines the five Q’s of good colostrum management.

An area Godden says many dairy producers still need to address is improving calf health through the transfer of passive immunity (TPI).

“According to a 2014 study, 14% of U.S. dairy calves failed,” she says. “So, in the average herd, there is still a large opportunity to improve this.”

The average cost of failed TPI in a dairy calf is cited in one meta-analysis as $70, Godden adds. She believes the losses could be greater because the meta-analysis ignored, or did not take into consideration, the lifetime production of the individual animal.

2. “OLDER” CALVES PERFORM BETTER IN GROUP HOUSING THAN YOUNGER ONES.

Godden recommends that calves be introduced to group housing at 12 to 14 days of age or even older.

Research shows younger calves take longer to learn to drink unassisted and need more guidance. They also drink less milk in the first days of life and have an increased risk of severe diarrhea and pneumonia (Figure 2).

3. GROUP SIZE IS ALSO AN IMPORTANT RISK FACTOR TO CONSIDER.

A 2006 randomized clinical trial of 892 calves in nine Swedish herds evaluated the health of calves placed in small groups of six to nine calves versus large groups of 12 to 18 calves. Researchers determined the large groups had a 40% increased risk for respiratory disease and also a reduced growth rate (Svensson et al., 2006. PVM 73:43).

Godden recommends housing in groups of seven or fewer calves. She notes that two calves — pair housing — could make the ideal group size.

The smaller group numbers don’t square with what some many distributors recommend to producers.

“They often suggest that farmers can put 25 to 30 calves on a nipple or in a pen, and it’s just not true,” Godden says. “People often learn that the hard way. As one of my colleagues says, ‘stocking density is self-correcting.’
“In addition to increased disease transmission, the major concern, if the group gets big enough, there’s a potential to introduce competition and aggression as stressors, and possibly limit intake, and those are going to feed back negatively on innate immunity, and, therefore, health,” she adds.

4. GIVE CALVES ROOM TO MOVE AROUND AND BED DOWN.

Both Godden and Ollivett emphasize adequate space is critical to success in group housing. Research indicates a stocking density that provides at least 45 sq. ft. to 50 sq. ft. bedded space per calf is desirable (Figure 3), and more is always better.

Keep age variations at a minimum, less than a week spread between animals if possible. Godden says when younger and older calves are group together, you see more competition, increased disease transmission from the older animals to the younger ones and an increase in mortality due to the age range (Jorgensen et al., 2017).

“Continuous flow pens contribute to endemic disease,” she says. “Pick your bug.”

5. WITH NUTRITION MANAGEMENT, FEEDING MORE MILK IS A POSITIVE.

Some producers might push back and say young calves will scour from having too much milk, but Godden says that is a myth.

“Feeding large volumes of milk does not cause milk scours,” she says.

When offered ad libitum access to clean, high-quality milk or milk replacer in the first days of life, dairy calves will drink an average of 8 liters per day by 4 days of age, and individual calves will drink up to 12 liters per day, without causing scours (Figure 4). Recent studies have reported a positive association between milk consumption very early in life on health as well as growth.

6. DO NOT RELY ON A COMPUTER TO DETECT SICK CALVES.

There can be large variations in calf feeding behaviors, especially in group housing, so use computers as an aid only to evaluate calf health. You might need to encourage producers to not rely on a computer algorithm to help detect animals that aren’t thriving.

“In addition to failing to detect clinical disease in many animals, a computer cannot detect subclinical BRD, for instance,” Godden notes. “We still need trained individuals on the farm to observe and identify sick calves.” BV

REFERENCES
¹Ollivett, Theresa. Calf Housing/Facility/Environment BRD Prevention. American Association of Bovine Practitioners Proceedings of the Annual Conference. 2021.

²S. M. Godden, W. A. Knauer. Management Considerations to Prevent Respiratory Disease in Group-housed Preweaned Dairy Calves. American Association of Bovine Practitioners Proceedings of the Annual Conference. 2021.

For more on this subject, read:

A Healthy Calf starts with Fetal Viability and Well-Being

10 Early Interventions to Help Sick Calves

Light can have a ‘Huge Impact’ on Milk Production

Is Technology the Answer to Dairy’s Sustainability Triple Threats?

Wed, 05 Oct 2022 18:44:12 GMT

As commentators are fond of pointing out from a sustainability perspective the most productive farms, the most productive cows, are also those that are the most sustainable with the lowest carbon footprint. As they say if all cows in the world performed at same standard as the average US cow would reduce the global carbon footprint by 90%. Despite this it is an irony that the most sustainable cows are still those that seek the most improvement and those producers are typically those embracing technology to make this happen.

In a year when dairy profitability is as good as any time in recent history, it might seem like a strange time to talk about the sustainability of our current model of milk production. Critics of dairy production don’t evaluate sustainability in terms of our ability to pass the farm to the next generation, and they are putting milk farms are squarely in the crosshairs. Livestock farming in general is the target of diverse groups, with Governments and even the UN focused on forcing changes in production. There are three main threats to Dairy: lowering the carbon footprint, assuring continued availability of affordable water and a qualified labor force.

Hotter summers, with the lack of rain and wildfires, have equally created havoc on our dairy farms. The resulting challenges are clear. Water consumption and increased water prices presents clear and real dangers, while working in over 100 degrees presents challenges in finding the right people to work on the farm.

The word sustainability is challenging to address when it is defined differently by different agencies. Add to that questions that ESG as it is becoming increasingly known accommodates a lot of different and competing demands which can be contradictory. Farmers concern is that ESG is a stick to beat them with, a slippery slope of activist demands, often out of step with the delivery of food that today is affordable and safe.

What is the path out of this? The food business demonstrates what is possible, re-imagine sustainability through better farming. Technology is part of how producers respond to ESG demands.

Water Recycling

Water on the farm is critical to cows, washing the barns and milking parlors, and not least cooling cows in hot weather. Finding ways to purify water and make it potable from manure, farm waste, is the work of different startups and scale ups including Livestock Water Recycling (LWR) who have been part of the World Dairy Tech Spotlight and more recently US dairies have installed Sedron Technologies and Regenis to separate manure into fertilizer and drinkable water.

Methane Capture

Methane digestors not only capture a greenhouse gas from manure, and can receive credits for that, but can become even more cash positive when the use of food waste makes the farm energy positive. Over 40 companies are now offering different methane digestors to US Dairy producers. California legislation has driven interest in this area but half a dozen more states are considering similar rules, but challenges remain since most farm methane digestors haven’t been profitable on their own, and without grants would never have been funded. Will methane generate more revenue than milk ? The Dynamic Group suggest that methane can boost revenue per cow by 10-30%.

Alternative energy

The use of wind turbines is so common that cattle often use their shadow to shelter when outside from the sun. Solar panels are becoming common also so its not surprising that farm systems are being imagined where crops or livestock could use solar panels as shade or shelter and ‘agrovoltaics’ is the concept of creating synergies. If you aren’t familiar with it I recommend checking out out Iberdrola or the Massachusetts SMART program.

Labor saving

US farms value labor as never before. Its not just the quantity of labor but also the availability of the most valuable workers; those who through a cow-centric approach and understanding cow-comfort recognize things that the average employee does not, no matter how hard they work. The use of Robotics continues to explode in the US and globally milking cows, cleaning barns, automating feed pushups and now Pharm Robotics is doing robotic vaccinations in US Dairy. Cow sensors have continued to grow in usage, with Antilleq monitoring over 1 million US cows and another dozen providers offering different wearables most notably Nedap’s CowControl. Sensors such as the recent launch of the Labby hand-held milk sensor, EIO and SomaDetect, allow producers to identify milk quality and indicators of cow health in real time. Camera solutions continue to grow (Cainthus, Cattle Eye, CattleCare) both in the milking parlor and in the barn to identify cow comfort, manage feed costs and identify problems in cows and the milk procedures. The goal of such technologies is to save money and time, through productivity, but the main success has been when it informs better, faster, decision making by farm workers.

As I opened with in this article, however, the best way forward to lower the footprint of dairy farms is to increase the productivity per cow in terms of milk production, and the conversion of nutrition into milk. Researchers also suggest that the carbon footprint of a cow with more lactations is lower than a cow with fewer. One proposal to improve the sustainability of dairy production globally has been to bring all cows up to US productivity levels, and in such a case the world wouldn’t need to have 300 million cows but just 30. More radically if cloning is allowed, and we could achieve the same level of milk production from all cows as we have with a cow with the world’s record for production, we could cut the global herd to just 3 million cows. Activists may not be ready for this solution, but it demonstrates the core fact that highly productive farms are also the ones with the lowest environmental footprint. And the best farms in the world are those who are embracing technology most quickly, and likely to continue to maintain their lead over their less-performing counterparts.

Vitamin E Feeding Strategies May Need to Flex

Mon, 15 Mar 2021 19:49:33 GMT

Global market conditions over the past year have dramatically impacted the vitamin E market, largely due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

According to a market note from Provimi, recently there has been an increase in both domestic and global demand for vitamins. Vitamin E is particularly desirable in both human and animal nutrition because of its antioxidant properties.

Most of the world’s vitamin E is supply is manufactured in Europe and China. The Wuhan province in China, where COVID-19 first was detected, is the site of numerous chemical plants that manufacture vitamins. It also is a transportation hub for barge and rail traffic into and out of China.

Manufacturing disruptions due to COVID-19-induced worker shortages tightened vitamin supplies early in the pandemic, and transportation disruptions have further complicated the situation. The Provimi bulletin noted that a worldwide shipping container shortage is causing delays in product flow. “For example, 18 months ago, two months was the average time to get a container from China,” it stated. “Today, that time has doubled.”

While manufactured supply appears to be catching up, the supply chain issues – and related price increases for vitamin E -- may persist throughout at least the rest of 2021. And rising demand for vitamin E is not going away. According to a report from Global Market Insights, the total global vitamin E market value is expected to bloom to $3 billion USD by 2026, up from $2 billion on 2019.

The report attributes this market growth to rising consumer focus on health and hygiene, along with an increasing global appetite for functional foods and beverages. The study also predicted a “surge in demand for animal feed additives for maintaining optimum health and wellness in livestock.”

In dairy nutrition, vitamin E often is fed above NRC minimum recommendations because it supports oxidative balance when cows are under stress, such and during the transition period. A recent, collaborative study published in the Journal of Dairy Science evaluated data from 36 scientific papers encompassing 53 trials on supplementing transition cows with vitamin E.

This meta-analysis showed that vitamin E supplementation for transition cows:
• Significantly decreased the incidence of retained fetal membranes;
• Reduced the number of services per conception and days open during the subsequent lactation; and
• Showed a slight improvement in milk production.

Given the importance of vitamin E, combined with current price and supply issues, this is an important time to develop a navigation strategy. Lowering vitamin E levels while still keeping them at “safe” concentrations may be one option. Using alternative antioxidant additives, either in tandem with – or as a replacement for – vitamin E, may be another.

Seven Tips To Avoid Post-Weaning Slump

Thu, 18 Feb 2021 17:58:20 GMT

Preweaned calves require a lot of attention, labor and focus, and rightfully so. But if their transition to weaning goes awry, so, too, can their health and productivity.
According to the Dairy Calf and Heifer Association’s Gold Standards, 50% of lifetime stature growth and 25% of lifetime weight gain occur in the first 6 months of a dairy calf’s life. That means the weeks after weaning are just as critical as those before.

Here’s important advice for avoiding the post-weaning slump, offered by Donna Amaral-Phillips, DVM, University of Kentucky Dairy Extension, and Troy Wistuba, Purina Animal Nutrition.

1. Make one change at a time – To reduce the stress of weaning, make changes incrementally, advises Amaral-Phillips. Examples include dropping liquid rations back to 1X feedings for a few days or reducing autofeeder volumes before removing them entirely, and keeping calves on their preweaning grain mixture when they enter their new housing. Many producers also have success keeping calves in their preweaning housing environments for a week after weaning. The order of changes can be customized to the operation, but the point is to allow calves to adjust to one change before making another.

2. Ease into dietary transitions – Wistuba warns that an abrupt shift from a mostly milk-based diet to a grain and forage ration disrupts the microbes living in the calf’s digestive tract. He advises feeding high-protein (22%) starter grain ad-lib for the first 10-12 weeks of life until they reach 10 pounds of daily intake, then transitioning them to a high-protein (18%) grower feed with free-choice hay for another 12 weeks.

3. House in small groups – Amaral-Phillips suggests the first post-weaning grouping of individually or buddy-reared calves should consist of 6 head or fewer. This allows heifers to learn how to interact in a group setting, find the water source, and access the feed bunk without stressful competition. Calves raised in autofeeder pens should be maintained in their same groups after weaning.

4. Make facilities user-friendly – “Dairy heifers from 2 to 4 months of age need 12 to 18 inches of feed bunk space per head,” said Amaral-Phillips. “The height must allow all animals to easily reach the feed trough as well.” As in preweaned facilities, ample air movement without creating a draft should be the goal. She also said shelter, dry bedding and a walking surface free of mud, ice and snow also are essential so heifers do not divert extra energy to stay warm and walking to the feed source.

5. Feed for their needs – “Too often, the mindset when it comes to feeding heifers is, ‘what’s available?’ versus ‘what do these heifers need?’” said Wistuba. Considering the total protein content of their ration is critical, according to Amaral-Phillips. “In young heifers, lower-protein grain mixes (12-14% crude protein) often do not allow for adequate protein intake for skeletal growth when paired with forages testing less than 18-20% crude protein,” she said.

6. Include a coccidiocide – Controlling coccidiosis helps keep weaned calves on a healthy plane of growth. Amaral-Phillips notes that adding a coccidiocide, i.e. Rumensin or Bovatec, to the post-weaned ration is especially important if Deccox was included in the preweaned starter grain. “If a coccidiostat, i.e. Deccox, is removed from the diet after weaning, the coccidian protozoa can complete their life cycle and cause a break in coccidiosis protection,” she explained. Coccidiocides also have been shown to improve feed efficiency and weight gain.

7. Give the rumen its due – While you see how weaned calves are doing on the outside, important events are occurring inside. According to Wistuba, rumen volume doubles five times from 8-24 weeks of life. Feeding starter grain and free-choice water as early as Day 3 after birth triggers chemical reactions that fuel papillae development in the rumen wall. But switching to a mostly forage diet – be it hay, silage or a high-forage TMR – immediately at weaning can abruptly put the brakes on rumen development and impact long-term feed efficiency. Both experts advise including a balanced grain component in the ration until 24 weeks of age. By then, the rumen is fully developed, and heifers are ready to transition to a fermented forage diet.

Taking these measures will help to ensure that the effort, resources and time spent in the preweaning phase will not be lost in the post-weaning period. “There’s no ‘undo’ button or way to make up for lost ground during post-weaning,” said Wistuba.

Practical Fluid Therapy Options For Neonatal Calves

High-Protein Starter Improves Dairy Calf Weight Gain, Reduces Slumps At Weaning

Democrat's Green New Deal Wants to Eliminate "Farting Cows"

Sat, 09 Feb 2019 01:12:00 GMT

A proposed set of legislative goals released by a pair of Democratic freshmen members of Congress mentions getting fewer emissions from “farting cows,” but they want to work with farmers, too. The Green New Deal was released on Feb. 7 by Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) and Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) and aims to eliminate greenhouse gas emission while revamping the U.S. economy.

The Green New Deal has been drawing some attention because it would drastically change how many facets of the economy operate in an effort to address climate change. Components of the Green New Deal – that tries to fashion itself similar to President Franklin Roosevelt’s New Deal – focuses on utilizing renewable energy, cutting fossil fuels, overhauling health care and addressing the wealth divide.

The Green New Deal also contains mention of “working collaboratively with farmers and ranchers in the United States to remove pollution and greenhouse gas emissions from the agricultural sector as much as is technologically feasible.”

The initiative aims to support family farmers, invest in sustainable agriculture practices to increase soil health and building a sustainable food system that ensures access to healthy food.

While the legislation doesn’t have much more in details about the role agriculture will play in this effort, a FAQ sheet released with the Green New Deal does paint a different picture.

In a section of the FAQ sheet asking about the difference between the goal of going “100% clean and renewable” versus “100% renewable” there is a call out about methane emissions in cattle.

“We set a goal to get to net-zero, rather than zero emissions, in 10 years because we aren’t sure that we’ll be able to fully get rid of farting cows and airplanes that fast, but we think we can ramp up renewable manufacturing and power production, retrofit every building in America, build the smart grid, overhaul transportation and agriculture, plant lots of trees and restore our ecosystem to get to net-zero,” the FAQ sheet reads.

Voices From Agriculture

The mention of “farting cows” drew concerns from groups representing agriculture and farmers on social media.

The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) has been working to address sustainability through efforts like the Global Roundtable for Sustainable Beef (GRSB) . Also, NCBA recently released a Cost/Benefit Principles that serves as a guide for decision-making on various policy proposals regarding climate change.

“Despite all the progress we’ve made on the environmental front in recent decades, some policymakers still seem to think targeting U.S. beef producers and consumers will make a huge impact on global emissions,” says Colin Woodall, NCBA senior vice president of government affairs. “That’s why we drafted our Principles – to give the folks who are proposing new public policies the opportunity to outline the specific costs and estimated benefits of their proposals.”

You may think the #GreenNewDeal is some far out but case dream. If you're involved in #agriculture you'd better view it as a threat to your entire way of life. https://t.co/Gp6Oe53HdX
— Casey Kimbrell (@CBKimbrell) February 8, 2019

Like the part where is says "work with farmers & ranchers to create sustainable, pollution and greenhouse gas free food". So basically the gov't will retrain us how they think we should farm & ranch. No thanks!
— Brandon Bell (@bjbell60) February 8, 2019

The language is very vague. Almost like those who drafted it don't know much about agriculture in the US. Farm bill supports most of what they list.
— Jeannine Otto (@AgNews_Otto) February 7, 2019

I feel like I need more details. But I’m excited we’re having this conversation and as a rancher I’d like to be part of making things better instead of worse.
— MegRaeB.bsky.social (@MegRaeB) February 8, 2019

Lots of wiggle room, kind of like now. Define ‘feasible’..🤷🏽‍♂️
— Doug Doughty (@_dpdoughty) February 7, 2019

Research and Statistics Shows Improvement on “Farting Cows”

While much of what is suggested for agriculture is already being handled through programs funded in the farm bill, the mention of “farting cows” shows a divide between rural and urban America.

According to data from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), direct greenhouse gas emissions that come from cattle and their manure represents 2% of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions, or less than 0.4% of global emissions.

Research by Virginia Tech and USDA-ARS determined that if all livestock were eliminated from production agriculture it would only reduce U.S. greenhouse gas emissions by 2.6% or 0.36% globally. However, the shift would cause changes in dietary needs as people would not be able to receive enough of several different essential dietary nutrients without animal proteins. There would be deficiencies in calcium, vitamins A and B12 and some important fatty acids. Ultimately, resulting in higher caloric diets .

“A take-home message from the study was that we need to expand the way we think about food production to account for the complex consequences of changing any individual piece within the wider food system,” says Robin R. White, a professor of Animal and Poultry Science at Virginia Tech.

The announcement of the Green New Deal is something that Sara Place, NCBA’s senior director of sustainable beef production research, hopes will serve as starting off point for a conversation between the politicians supporting it and livestock producers.

“I think it highlights the large divide between people that are interacting with the environment and growing food every day, and those that are concerned about environmental issues, but ignorant,” Place says.

The U.S. has become one of the most efficient producers of both beef and dairy in the world during the past few decades, helping curtail the amount of emissions.

Since 1977, the U.S. beef cattle herd has decreased by 33% and the same amount of beef is being produced. A Journal of Animal Science study by Dr. Jude Capper showed that comparing 1977 versus 2007 to produce 1 kg of beef it took 69.9% of the animals, 81.4% of feedstuffs, 87.9% of the water, and only 67.0% of the land required. Modern beef systems produce 81.9% of the manure, 82.3% CH4, and 88.0% N2O per billion kilograms of beef compared with production systems in 1977.

Dairy has seen wide improvements as well. A study published in the Journal of Animal Science ( Capper et al., 2009 ) showed that modern dairy production has become much more efficient. Comparing 1944 versus 2007 it takes 21% fewer cows, 35% less water and 10% less land produce 1 billion kg of milk. All while emitting 37% less of a carbon footprint. Other greenhouse gas impacts included a reduction of 24% for manure, 43% for CH4, and 56% for N2O per billion kg of milk compared with equivalent milk from historical dairying.

Even with these gains in recent history to curtail greenhouse gas emissions in beef and dairy production there still appears to be a need to share that information with political leaders.

Manure and Nutrient Management

A New Chapter for a Once Notorious Oregon 'Mega-Dairy' Site Draws Attention to CAFO Permits

YouTube Michigan Dairy Farm Star Showcases His Farm Messages to Thousands

Siegler Dairy Farm

Dairyland Labs Offers New Manure Testing Options

For more on nutrient management, read:

Six Ways to Help Preweaned Dairy Calves Succeed in Group Housing

Is Technology the Answer to Dairy’s Sustainability Triple Threats?

Water Recycling

Methane Capture

Alternative energy

Labor saving

Vitamin E Feeding Strategies May Need to Flex

Seven Tips To Avoid Post-Weaning Slump

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