Options to reduce and mitigate greenhouse gas emissions on farms fall into three categories: farm management changes, infrastructure investment, and retiring or planting land. The best options for each farm will vary depending on factors such as the farm system and the region. When choosing changes to adopt on your farm, you may find options from all three of these categories work well together.

Farm management changes

The final report of the Biological Emissions Reference Group (BERG), a cumulative effort by the wider agricultural sector, estimated that biological emissions can be reduced by up to 10% for the dairy sector with currently available farm management practices. Most of these mitigation measures are promoted through our existing projects - such as Pastoral 21 and Forages for Reduced Nitrate Leaching. They involve good farm practices, such as feed utilisation, choice of feed type and being more selective about how and when to apply fertiliser and effluent to our land.  

Outlined below are some options to consider. Before you make changes to your farm system or invest in infrastructure, you should seek advice to help determine what will work best for your situation. Contact your dairy company’s environmental advisor.  

Options to reduce methane emissions

Managing dry matter intake

Current options available to reduce methane emissions are limited, but managing efficient use of dry matter intake (DMI) is the most important. Research shows that for every additional kg of total feed eaten per hectare, total methane emissions increase proportionally.

Managing DMI is about reducing the amount of feed eaten per hectare, and increasing per cow performance for every kg of feed that is eaten.

Overtime, as cow performance improves it may be possible to adjust stocking rates (but the DMI per cow must remain constant). Increasing reproductive performance of the herd to allow for reduced replacement rates will decrease your emissions as there is less DMI requirement for young stock and less methane emissions.

Low emitting feeds

Research by the farmer-supported Pastoral Greenhouse Gas Research Consortium (PGgRc) and New Zealand Agricultural Greenhouse Gas Research Centre (NZAGRC) have developed a series of fact sheets, including information on feeds and their impact on methane emissions.

Brassica rape was the crop most rigorously tested. Compared to a traditional ryegrass/white clover pasture diet, a 100% brassica rape diet reduced emissions by an average of 30%. Fodder beet trial results to date indicate it can reduce methane emissions by around 20%, but only at when it makes up at least 70% of the diet. Read more here.

Options to reduce nitrogen leaching and nitrous oxide emissions

Nitrous oxide emissions occur when bacteria in the soil remove oxygen from nitrate (NO3-). This mainly happens when the soils are in an anaerobic state (e.g. waterlogged soils). Because nitrogen is supplied to the soil from fertiliser, animal excreta, and effluent irrigation, there are a number of options to manage nitrous oxide emissions and nitrogen leaching. The mitigations options involve reducing nitrogen loss through:

• better fertiliser application
• planting low-nitrogen forages or crops to reduce nitrogen excretion (eg fodder beet and plantain)
• use of low nitrogen feeds
• improving pasture quality.

Reducing nitrogen surplus

• Many of the supplementary feeds contain less nitrogen than normal pastures and can help reduce nitrous oxide emissions on farms. You can evaluate supplements used to see if there is potential to change to a lower-emissions feed.
• Evaluate existing cropping activity and the species grown. This can improve nitrogen inputs to the farm and nitrogen surplus through different types of crop and different methods in cultivation/feeding.
• Exploring the use of alternative forages in the pasture sward such as plantain to reduce nitrogen loss to water and atmosphere. These species can retain more nitrogen in the system allowing for less to be lost.

Optimising your fertiliser and effluent use

DairyNZ analysis shows that for every additional 100 kg N/ha applied via fertiliser, total greenhouse gas emissions increase by 2.6 t/ha. As well as using less nitrogen fertiliser per hectare, mitigations strategies include:

• Ensure you are applying the right type of fertiliser in the right places. Test the soil to gauge optimal levels and use precision application to ensure accurate placement.
• Avoid direct leaching and nitrous oxide emissions by not applying in winter or to waterlogged soils.
• Improve effluent management to accurately apply appropriate depths and rates to the soil so that there are less losses.
• Reduce N fertiliser applications on effluent blocks.

Paddock strategies

• Grazing cows off-paddock in the autumn months limits the build-up of nitrate in the soil when the plant growth is reduced. This build-up is then available to be lost to both water and atmosphere of the following winter and spring months. This strategy can reduce nitrogen leaching and nitrous oxide emissions if the associated effluent is well manged.
• Improve irrigation practices so that water is only applied when the soil profile has the capacity to absorb it and the plants need it and that there is no over application. This can be done by using precision water irrigation and scheduling.
• During wintering urine nitrogen leaching and nitrous oxide emissions can be reduced through appropriate paddock selection, grazing time, and grazing regime.
• Using a ‘catch crop’ to minimise the fallow period following a winter crop. This will reduce nitrogen leaching and nitrous oxide emissions during this period.

Below is an example of the cumulative effects for a future package of interventions for dairy, sheep and beef.

Planting to offset carbon dioxide

Planting trees can help ‘offset’ emissions from your farm business without impacting on production. As trees grow, they store carbon in trunks, branches, leaves, and roots. Planting will also improve water quality by helping to filter out sediment and nutrients before they enter waterways. Planting could take place in riparian areas, shelter belts, and through retiring land to forestry. Planting also helps to prevent soil erosion and increase the habitat for native wildlife. 

To more about planting see Trees on farms and Riparian planting.

The partnership farm project through the Dairy Action for Climate Change modelled a range of these mitigations, and others, on 12 farms around New Zealand. The aim was to understand how adopting mitigations on farm to reduce greenhouse gases and nitrogen loss could impact on profitability and productivity. Case studies are being released over March – June 2019 and can be found here.