IRELAND,PHOTO: SHINAGH FARM


PHOTO: NESTLÉ


Farm name: Skimmelkrans Dairy Farm Goal year to reach carbon neutrality: 2023 Location: South Africa Owner: Kuyler family (partners: Nestlé, academics) Feeding system: Pasture-based Progress: Ahead of schedule Methane: Trials in collaboration with academia have been done to evaluate feed additives. Because cows are on pasture except for twice-day milking, not enough manure can be collected to operate a biodigester continuously. Renewable energy: Solar panels had achieved a 40% drop in conventional energy use by 2020. More panels are now being added. This power generation replaces grid electricity produced using fossil fuels. Other: Minimum tillage has played a large role in increasing soil carbon/health and has also contributed to lower farm fuel usage. Nitrogen fertiliser application needs on the pastures have been reduced significantly. A complete soil analysis will be done this year. Practices such as the roll-out of multispecies perennial pastures and applying proper techniques to encourage maximum pasture photosynthesis also reduce carbon emissions. There are 400 ha under irrigation and an additional 200 ha for feed production (80% feed produced on-farm with 20% purchased feed concentrate). For each tonne of bought-in feed that can be replaced by on-farm feed production, about 0.35 tonnes of CO2


e emissions are reduced annually.


gesters are critical. The bacteria in the vat digest the manure and produce methane, which is collected and cleaned. It’s then burned in generators (emitting CO2


) to create electricity and


heat. The nutrient-rich digestate, applied to fields, can also re- duce the amount of inorganic fertiliser needed for crop or pas- ture growth; this helps reduce GHG emissions because fertiliser production requires large amounts of energy. “Biomethane” can also be used to directly power tractors and other farm vehicles. In September 2021, at the Farming for Clean Air Show in the UK, New Holland’s new T6 180 meth- ane-powered tractor was demonstrated. The methane came from the digester at Park Farm, a commercial research farm


owned by the University of Cambridge, which hosted the show. Together, red seaweed and biodigesters can reduce total methane emissions on a dairy farm by over 90%.


Taxes and grants Some people consider carbon taxes to be an impediment to progress towards carbon neutrality on farms of all kinds, in- cluding dairy farms. That is, if farmers are paying more for fuel with a carbon tax surcharge, as they do in Canada, they have less money to invest in direct emissions-reducing tech- nologies and initiatives on their farms. However, farmers in various countries may also benefit from


Farm name: “Farm Zero C” at Shinagh Farm Goal year to reach carbon neutrality: 2027 Location: Ireland, County Cork Owners: Shinagh Farm is owned by members of four West Cork farming co-op- eratives; The “Farm Zero C” project is operated by University College Dublin (led by Professor Kevin O’Connor) in partnership with dairy processor Carbery Group. Funding of € 2 million was awarded in 2021 to the project from the Science Foundation Ireland Future Innovator Prize Zero Emissions Challenge. Feeding system: Pasture-based Progress: By 2023, carbon footprint reduction of 40–50% is expected. Renewable energy: Wind turbine in place. Solar panels are being installed on milking barn. This will replace power derived from oil combusted on site and grid electricity produced from fossil fuels. Methane reduction: Currently trialling various feed additives, including red seaweed. Also examining a combination of grass biorefining (to produce multiple products that can be used on-farm and sold off-farm) and a biodigester (to digest the residues and low-value by-product of grass biorefining). Other: Increasing soil capacity to sequester carbon and using locally sourced feed.


▶ DAIRY GLOBAL | Volume 9, No. 2, 2022 7


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