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New IPCC Climate Change Mitigation Report coming monday...
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<blockquote data-quote="sjt01" data-source="post: 8069365" data-attributes="member: 30726"><p>This was my entry for the Diversey #WeAreDairy sustainability competition, did not get the $10,000 (but a fellow cheesemaker in Suffolk did), but got Highly Commended</p><p></p><p>[ATTACH=full]1026539[/ATTACH]</p><p></p><p>Dairy farm sustainability is not just about use of special technologies or techniques, it is about the whole approach to the farming operation as well as attention to detail on each aspect. Because of the gradual and continuous change involved, it has been hard to quantify financial benefits, but the dairy herd has moved from loss making to being profitable.</p><p></p><p>Over the past 15 years or so, we have been making steps to improve the sustainability of our operation, starting with making a proportion of the milk into cheese, then moving to a healthier herd of Brown Swiss cows, and using calf hutches to reduce calf disease.</p><p></p><p>Since these initial steps we have further developed our dairying operation:</p><p></p><p>Waste to farm-made energy:</p><p>Anaerobic digestion using manures, lower quality silage (top and sides of clamp), whey etc. Electricity to grid (about 70%), utilise as much of the heat as possible to eliminate fossil fuel heating – dairy hot water, cheesemaking heat, grain drying, 4 houses, office, workshop, cow drinking water. Producing digestate as high quality consistent fertiliser. Use of the digester reduces risk of diffuse pollution and risk of danger of damage to Stiffkey River.</p><p></p><p>Electrification to reduce fossil fuel use:</p><p>Irrigation pump (was 6 cylinder diesel, now electric), electric digestate pumping to field by underground mains avoiding road traffic, 3 electric farm cars, ride on mower, electric Gator for herding cows, electric loader for scraping out slurry.</p><p></p><p>Farm grown livestock feed:</p><p>Grow as much livestock feed as possible on farm, eliminating soya. Lucerne produces forage with protein at very low input levels. Home grown maize silage, grass silage, barley and beans. Change breed of cows to Brown Swiss for more milk from grass. Investigate growing maize and climbing beans together for higher protein. Because we can divert lower quality silages to the anaerobic digester, we can ensure the cows only get the very best quality.</p><p></p><p>Focus on sustainability through a healthy productive herd:</p><p>We operate as a team, with the herd manager, the vet and the nutritionist regularly working together to improve health and nutrition. We routinely test for diseases such as Neospora, Johne’s and mycoplasma, and vaccinate where possible to prevent diseases such as lungworm and ringworm.</p><p></p><p>Focus on sustainability through breeding:</p><p>To avoid import of disease to the farm, we have been a closed herd since moving to Brown Swiss, and have been breeding for longevity. We use sexed semen on our best cows to breed our replacement heifers, and use good beef semen on the rest of the herd which gives us good quality beef cross calves to sell to a local rearer and fattener. We also sell pedigree heifers to other herds.</p><p></p><p>Plastic reduction:</p><p>Stop buying feed and feed supplements in 20 kg bags where possible, buy in bulk or in tote bags of 1 tonne. Stop using wrapped bales for silage, use silage bunker instead. Straw baled in square bales so more can be stored under cover, the string of which can be recycled unlike round bale net wrap. Use washable udder cloths in industrial washing machine instead of disposable wipes.</p><p></p><p>Antibiotic reduction:</p><p>Use good bacteria (Pruex) to fight infectious bacteria in the dairy herd, by dosing water supply and treating cow beds. Maintain a high health status dairy herd. Use outdoor calf hutches to improve calf health.</p><p></p><p>Protect and improve soil structure through regenerative agriculture:</p><p>Use direct drilling and strip tillage, in combination with cover crops and crop rotation to conserve soil and increase soil carbon. Plough, power harrow etc. sold. Evolved our own maize drilling system over 10 years, so we can strip till into cover crops. We are trialling growing climbing beans in with the maize, to increase plant diversity and encourage insect pollinators (see above).</p><p></p><p>Emissions reduction:</p><p>Apply digestate liquid with trailing shoe tanker to reduce ammonia losses. Experimenting with treating digestate with sulphuric acid to reduce ammonia losses from digester through to soil application, not only saving ammonia emissions but also saving requirements for nitrogen fertiliser from fossil fuel.</p><p></p><p>Sustainability of the natural environment:</p><p>We work closely with the Norfolk Rivers Trust to protect and enhance the chalk stream that runs through our fields, and with the Norfolk Wildlife Trust to improve the environment for wildlife, such as developing wildlife corridors between ponds.</p><p></p><p>Extension and community outreach:</p><p>When we are not restricted by Covid, we regularly host farm tours from school parties, and groups of interested members of the public as well as other farmers, to show them what we are doing in terms of sustainability. Due to the restrictions we have had to make do with talks over Zoom.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="sjt01, post: 8069365, member: 30726"] This was my entry for the Diversey #WeAreDairy sustainability competition, did not get the $10,000 (but a fellow cheesemaker in Suffolk did), but got Highly Commended [ATTACH type="full"]1026539[/ATTACH] Dairy farm sustainability is not just about use of special technologies or techniques, it is about the whole approach to the farming operation as well as attention to detail on each aspect. Because of the gradual and continuous change involved, it has been hard to quantify financial benefits, but the dairy herd has moved from loss making to being profitable. Over the past 15 years or so, we have been making steps to improve the sustainability of our operation, starting with making a proportion of the milk into cheese, then moving to a healthier herd of Brown Swiss cows, and using calf hutches to reduce calf disease. Since these initial steps we have further developed our dairying operation: Waste to farm-made energy: Anaerobic digestion using manures, lower quality silage (top and sides of clamp), whey etc. Electricity to grid (about 70%), utilise as much of the heat as possible to eliminate fossil fuel heating – dairy hot water, cheesemaking heat, grain drying, 4 houses, office, workshop, cow drinking water. Producing digestate as high quality consistent fertiliser. Use of the digester reduces risk of diffuse pollution and risk of danger of damage to Stiffkey River. Electrification to reduce fossil fuel use: Irrigation pump (was 6 cylinder diesel, now electric), electric digestate pumping to field by underground mains avoiding road traffic, 3 electric farm cars, ride on mower, electric Gator for herding cows, electric loader for scraping out slurry. Farm grown livestock feed: Grow as much livestock feed as possible on farm, eliminating soya. Lucerne produces forage with protein at very low input levels. Home grown maize silage, grass silage, barley and beans. Change breed of cows to Brown Swiss for more milk from grass. Investigate growing maize and climbing beans together for higher protein. Because we can divert lower quality silages to the anaerobic digester, we can ensure the cows only get the very best quality. Focus on sustainability through a healthy productive herd: We operate as a team, with the herd manager, the vet and the nutritionist regularly working together to improve health and nutrition. We routinely test for diseases such as Neospora, Johne’s and mycoplasma, and vaccinate where possible to prevent diseases such as lungworm and ringworm. Focus on sustainability through breeding: To avoid import of disease to the farm, we have been a closed herd since moving to Brown Swiss, and have been breeding for longevity. We use sexed semen on our best cows to breed our replacement heifers, and use good beef semen on the rest of the herd which gives us good quality beef cross calves to sell to a local rearer and fattener. We also sell pedigree heifers to other herds. Plastic reduction: Stop buying feed and feed supplements in 20 kg bags where possible, buy in bulk or in tote bags of 1 tonne. Stop using wrapped bales for silage, use silage bunker instead. Straw baled in square bales so more can be stored under cover, the string of which can be recycled unlike round bale net wrap. Use washable udder cloths in industrial washing machine instead of disposable wipes. Antibiotic reduction: Use good bacteria (Pruex) to fight infectious bacteria in the dairy herd, by dosing water supply and treating cow beds. Maintain a high health status dairy herd. Use outdoor calf hutches to improve calf health. Protect and improve soil structure through regenerative agriculture: Use direct drilling and strip tillage, in combination with cover crops and crop rotation to conserve soil and increase soil carbon. Plough, power harrow etc. sold. Evolved our own maize drilling system over 10 years, so we can strip till into cover crops. We are trialling growing climbing beans in with the maize, to increase plant diversity and encourage insect pollinators (see above). Emissions reduction: Apply digestate liquid with trailing shoe tanker to reduce ammonia losses. Experimenting with treating digestate with sulphuric acid to reduce ammonia losses from digester through to soil application, not only saving ammonia emissions but also saving requirements for nitrogen fertiliser from fossil fuel. Sustainability of the natural environment: We work closely with the Norfolk Rivers Trust to protect and enhance the chalk stream that runs through our fields, and with the Norfolk Wildlife Trust to improve the environment for wildlife, such as developing wildlife corridors between ponds. Extension and community outreach: When we are not restricted by Covid, we regularly host farm tours from school parties, and groups of interested members of the public as well as other farmers, to show them what we are doing in terms of sustainability. Due to the restrictions we have had to make do with talks over Zoom. [/QUOTE]
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