Drones and satellites can measure methane emissions from ruminants
Study combines drone, satellite data, and ground-based flux measurements to examine methane emissions from ruminants in Kenya. The research is a pioneering effort to employ drones for methane (CH4) emission quantification from ruminants in sub-Saharan Africa. It is one of the first field studies to measure methane emissions from camels, a largely understudied source. Methane emissions […]
Including peatland pastures will at least double climate gas emissions from Dairy Farms
Drained peatlands are a blind spot when calculating emissions from milk production. Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), assessing the “cradle-to-gate” emissions from milk production, guides both policy and farm-level decisions. When peatlands are turned into pastures, the emissions are commonly not included in the carbon footprint from milk produced on such areas. Peat soils account for […]
High-density grazing systems may double grass production and improve farm circularity
Grass production can be doubled with high-density grazing. Seventy small-scale and commercial farms in South Africa were interviewed about nutrient circulation. Farmers were asked about circular practices, focusing on how high-density grazing can increase feed production, enhance manure recycling, and improve animal health. High-density grazing involves livestock grazing closely together on a smaller area […]
Evaluating Climate-Smart Practices on Kenyan Dairy Farms
Aim to enhance milk productivity and reduce GHG emissions. Researchers have assessed the cost-benefit and greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reductions of climate-smart management interventions on 666 dairy farms in Kenya. These interventions aim to enhance milk productivity while simultaneously reducing GHG emissions. The project builds on previous research conducted on small dairy farms in Costa […]
First use of a drone to measure ruminant methane emissions in Africa
Drone measurements at ILRIs Kapiti farm in Kenya. The tests are part of a bigger effort under CircAgric-GHG, that is collecting data and testing the methodology for ruminant methane emission measurements across three different climates and environments: Germany, Kenya and Norway. Accorcing to a blog post from ILRIs communication department, this is the first use of a […]
Increased and improved use of pastoral land can promote a more sustainable meat production
Evaluating local foraging resources in Italy using remote sensing and productivity modelling. In the Italian Alps, the use of mountain pastures and traditional pastoral methods is on the decline. Researchers at the University of Milan are studying traditional alpine pastoralism and investigating circularity in this system. Machine learning classification techniques combine information from optical and […]
Measures to lower carbon footprint from dairy farms
Researchers have assessed the carbon footprints of dairy farms in 5 European countries. Farm management practices explained up to 79% of the variation in carbon footprints, which implies potential for lowering emissions. Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) methodology was used to calculate the environmental impacts of milk production on 71 farms in Ireland, England, Spain, France […]
Sheep spending the entire year on pastures have a lower Carbon Footprint
Pasture can reduce carbon footprint from sheep production by almost one third. Transhumant sheep systems, both by foot and lorry, achieve relatively low carbon footprint, compared to sedentary farms. Mobility of grazing livestock can thus be considered as a strategy to promote climate change mitigation. This is the conclusion in a research paper from […]
Measuring the economic and environmental impact of low carbon dairy farms
Circular pasture-based dairy production. On the Solohead Research Farm in Ireland, Teagasc Livestock Systems are testing systems of pasture-based dairy production with minimal external inputs, and as much internal circularity as possible. Solohead Farm is a hub in a network of 30 commercial Low Carbon Dairy Farms (LCD farms) who wants to implement similar […]
Cows eating left-overs from bakery products may produce more sustainable milk
Bakery by-products as feed ingredient for lactating cows increases milk production and may lower global warming potential. An Italian case study shows promising results for adding bakery by-products as a feed ingredient to lactating cows’ diet. Italy has a high dependency on cereal import from no EU countries. It is challenging the sustainability of […]