Environmental Considerations
Dairy farms are continually working towards overall sustainability. Compared to farms in 1960 today's dairy farms are on average producing almost three times more milk with about half the number of cows thanks to genetic improvements, better feed nutrition, and improved cow comfort, including reduced heat stress, better ventilation and stall design, as well as other management practices. Farmers are evaluating how they can reduce potential externalities, including air quality impacts, water quality impacts, and any impact on microbial resistance.
Environmental concerns related to the dairy industry such as those in the list below have been studied with reports and related materials posted.
- Meeting New York State’s Energy, Environmental and Economic Goals While Strengthening Dairy Farms Through the Widespread Adoption of Manure-Based Anaerobic Digestion Technology Working Paper - Jennifer Pronto, Curt Gooch, Pete Wright (October 2017)
- Dairy Farmer’s Perspective on Sustainability - Skip Hardie (July 2015)
- Cost-effective and Environmentally Beneficial Dairy Manure Management Practices - National Dairy Environmental Stewardship Council (2005)
Climate Change
Climate and weather are an important management concern for animal agriculture. The intent of this web page is to assist those involved in animal agriculture to prepare and respond to current weather and the potential for a changing climate.
Dairy Environmental Systems and Climate Adaptations Conference: 2015
- Conference Proceedings
- Northeast Experiences with Climate, Weather and the Dairy Industry - Art DeGaetano (Cornell)
- Animal Agriculture and a Changing Climate – Creating Climate-Smart Solutions - Bill Hohenstein (Director, USDA Climate Change Program)
- Animal Agriculture and Climate Change: A National Extension Approach - Rick Stowell (University of Nebraska)
- Sustainable Intensification of Animal Agriculture to satisfy Human Nutritional Needs and Protect the Environment - Frank Mitloehner (University of California, Davis)
- Evaluating Strategies for Greenhouse Gas Mitigation and Adaptation to Climate Change for a New York Dairy - Farm Al Rotz (USDA-ARS)
- Impacts of Climate Change on Manure Management - Peter Wright (NRCS)
- Climate Science Part I: Basic Climate Science - Pam Knox (U. of Georgia)
- Climate Science Part II: Climate Models and Projecting Future Climate - Pam Knox (U. of Georgia)
- Forecast Needs for Dairy Systems Under Climate Change - Stephen Jascourt (MDA Information Systems, LLC)
- ABC's of Farm-Based GHG - David Smith (TAMU)
- Potential Use of LCA to Prioritize Adaptation and Mitigation Strategies - Greg Thoma (U. of Arkansas)
- Carbon Markets Update: Project Examples, Costs, Returns, Lessons Learned - Patrick Wood (Ag Methane Advisors)
- What are the Best Tools Developed to Predict GHGs? - Wendy Powers (MI State)
- Climate Change and Northeast Dairy: Challenges and Opportunities - David Wolfe (Cornell)
- Climate Change Impacts on the Dairy Industry - Larry Chase (Cornell)
- Farmer Panel: Farmers’ Perspectives on Climate Change, Climate Adaptation, and Sustainability in a Commodities-based Market:
- California Dreaming- John Fiscalini
- Whole Farm Best Practices- Doug Young
- Dairy Farmer’s Perspective on Sustainability- Skip Hardie
- New Revenue for Digesters: The Renewable Fuel Standard and Low Carbon Fuel Standard - David McCullough (Sutherland, Asbill and Brennan)
- Lifecycle and Economic Assessment for NYS Dairy Co-digestion - Joseph Usack (Cornell)
- Biogas Opportunities Roadmap: Voluntary actions to reduce methane emissions and increase energy independence - Allison Costa (AgSTAR)
- The Current State of Carbon Credits and Carbon Markets - Jim Jensen (WSU)
- Tools and Technologies to Assess Heat Stress on Commercial Dairies - Todd Bilby (Merck Animal Health)
- Production and Physiological Responses of Heat-Stressed Lactating Dairy Cattle to Conductive Cooling - Kristen Perano (Cornell)
- Cow of the Future - Juan Tricarico (DMI)
- Impact Of Heat Stress On Reproductive Function And Performance Of Dairy Cattle - Julio Giordano (Cornell)
- Heat Stress Abatement Techniques for Dairy Cattle - Dan McFarland (PSU)
- Using the CNCPS to Formulate Cattle Diets Containing Forages Resulting from Harsher Climatic Conditions - Mariann Fessenden (AMTS)
- Effects Of Dairy Manure Management On Greenhouse Gas Emissions And Costs Of Mitigation - Jeni Wightman (Cornell)
- Herd Management Strategies to Reduce Methane Emissions in Dairy Herds - Larry Chase (Cornell)
- Carbon Sequestration Potential of Grazed Pasture Depends on Prior Management History - Howard Skinner (USDA-ARS)
- Addressing Controversial Issues in Extension Teaching - Andrea Lorek-Strauss (U. of Minnesota Ext.)
- Extension Panel: How to Communicate if your Audience Isn’t Listening
- Cornell Institute for Climate Change and Agriculture- Allison Chatrchyan
- Are Maine Farmers Adequately Concerned about Climate Change- John Jemison
- Panel Presentation- Kimberley Morrill
- Using Technology to Optimize Crop Production in a Changing Climate - Todd DuMond (DuMond Ag)
- Development of Seasonal Forecast Tools - Toby Ault (Cornell)
- Adapt N: A Computational Tool for Precise Nitrogen Recommendations that Incorporate Weather Data - Jeff Melkonian (Cornell)
- Integrating Anaerobic Digestion and Nutrient Separation: A Synergistic Partnership - John Budaj (McLanahan)
- GHG Emissions from Injected vs. Surface Applied Dairy Liquid Manure in Alfalfa and Grassland - Amir Sadeghpour (Cornell)
- Gypsum Bedding Impact on H2S Release from Dairy Manure Storage - Mike Hile (PSU)
- Aussie Cows on Sustainable Farms Still Feeling the Heat with Extreme Events - Melissa Balas, Bega Cheese Limited – Australia
- Recycling Agricultural Plastics in Dairy Production - Nate Leonard (Cornell)
- Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Dairy Manure Land Applications with Tannin Feeding Trials - Claire Campbell (University of Wisconsin-Madison)
- Heat Flux and Condensation Rate in Conductive Cooling Systems for Thermally Stressed Dairy Cattle - Kristen Perano (Cornell)
- Use of Udder Skin Temperature as a Heat Stress Indicator in Lactating Dairy Cattle - Kristen Perano (Cornell)
- Nitrogen- vs Phosphorus-Based Manure and Compost Management of Corn: From Corn Performance to Soil and Environment Quality - Amir Sadeghpour (Cornell)
- Greenhouse Gases Emissions from Nitrogen- vs Phosphorus-Based Manure and Compost Management of Grain Corn - Amir Sadeghpour (Cornell)
- A Sustainable Waste to Energy Path: The Benefits from Organic Waste and Manure in New Jersey - Qing Li (Rutgers University)
- Quantifying Methane, Ammonia, Carbon Dioxide and Nitrous Oxide Emissions from Farm-Scale Separating and Composting of Dairy Manure in Canada - Melanie Fillingham (Agriculture, and Agri-Food Canada)
- Farm-Scale Measurement of Methane Emissions from Liquid Manure Storages Over Two Years - Hambaliou Balde (Agriculture, and Agri-Food Canada)
- Potential for Manure Treatment to Reduce Methane Emissions - Andy VanderZaag (Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada)
- Nitrous Oxide Emissions from Sustainable Dairy Forage Rotations - Alejandra Ponce de Leon (USDA-ARS)
Antimicrobial Resistance
Antibiotics are chemicals that kill or impede bacterial growth. Parallel to their use and importance for human health, antibiotics are important medicines used on dairy farms to prevent and treat bovine bacterial infections. When antibiotics are administered to dairy cattle, milk and meat withholding times are strictly followed to prevent antibiotic residues from entering the food system.
Antibiotic Resistance (AR) is a naturally occurring process where previously susceptible bacteria develop the ability to resist the effects of an antibiotic. The use of both human and veterinary antibiotics has accelerated antibiotic-resistant bacteria development.
Information found on this page was developed under USDA funding that supports work to investigate and report on the efficacy of dairy manure treatment systems to mitigate antimicrobial resistance (AMR).