Intensive farming cuts carbon footprint, latest studies reveal

MORE intensive farming produces a lesser carbon footprint than allowing cattle to graze freely, according to two presentations at a recent Alltech conference in Kentucky, USA.

A study by Dr Judith L Capper of the Department of Animal Sciences, Washington State University showed more intensive farming had led to Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions being reduced by 63% per kg milk from 1994 to 2007.

Dr Capper told attendees in Kentucky that advances in nutrition, genetics and management facilitated an increase in annual milk yield from 2,074kg to 9,193kg over this period, resulting in 21% of the animals, 23% of the feed, 35% of the water and 10% of the land being required to produce one kg of milk in 2007 compared to 1944.

Dr Capper said: “Strategies to reduce the daily maintenance cost by using smaller bodyweight animals would also be predicted to mitigate environmental impact providing that productivity was not unduly affected.

“To improve the environmental sustainability of dairy cows it is crucial to consider animal productivity and efficiency metrics, rather than focusing on productivity alone.”

A similar view on the more favourable environmental impact of intensive dairy farming was proposed by Torsten Hemme of the IFCN Dairy Research Centre, Kiel, Germany.

The German study focused on the economic issues relating to sustainability, and how advanced new technologies can help to protect the milk price against price volatility.

This research compared price volatility in countries as diverse as Central Europe, Eastern Europe and Africa. The research found that the more developed economies used mechanisms which offered both greater environmental sustainability and greater price stability.