As part of an ongoing collaboration on Climate-Smart Agriculture between UC Davis, Wageningen University, the California Department of Food and Agriculture and the California Air Resources Board, this webinar focused on the challenges and opportunities for dairy farming as it relates to a changing climate.

1. Challenges for dairy farms in climate
smart agriculture
Klaas Jan van Calker

2. GHG AND DAIRY: HOW TO INFLUENCE BEHAVIOUR
• Milk production and feed
production has the biggest
contribution in the dairy
value chain
• Main GHG emissions are
the result of cows burping
methane: fact of life
• Farmers, however, can
influence the CFT on their
farm but that needs change
of behaviour
Adapted from Woerkum et al. And Jansen
et al.

3. Cost pricing of environmental impact
• The financial incentives can come from internalisation of the
environmental impact. Reduction of the emission of CO2 has
value. You can either invest this in compensation projects or
you can tackle emissions ate the source by paying farmers for
measurable (long term) improvements.

4. Integrated supply chain approach
• Monitoring
• Technology mitigation measures
– Manure separation
– Manure anaerobic digestion
– (partly) replacement of commercial fertiliser
– Feed additives
– Fossil free agriculture
• Farm management mitigation measures
– Increased longevity
– Improved fertility
– Improved nutrient management
– Improved soil fertility (including C
sequestration)
– Improved grazing and feeding practices
– Improved legumes production
• Rewards