Cost-effectiveness of feeding strategies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from dairy farming.
The objective of this paper was to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of 3 feeding strategies to reduce enteric CH4 production in dairy cows by calculating the effect on labor income at the farm level and on greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions at the chain level (i.e., from production of farm inputs to the farm gate). Strategies included were (1) dietary supplementation of an extruded linseed product (56% linseed; 1kg/cow per day in summer and 2kg/cow per day in winter), (2) dietary supplementation of a nitrate source (75% nitrate; 1% of dry matter intake), and (3) reducing the maturity stage of grass and grass silage (grazing at 1,400 instead of 1,700kg of dry matter/ha and harvesting at 3,000 instead of 3,500kg of dry matter/ha). A dairy farm linear programing model was used to define an average Dutch dairy farm on sandy soil without a predefined feeding strategy (reference situation). Subsequently, 1 of the 3 feeding strategies was implemented and the model was optimized again to determine the new economically optimal farm situation. Enteric CH4 production in the reference situation and after implementing the strategies was calculated based on a mechanistic model for enteric CH4 and empirical formulas explaining the effect of fat and nitrate supplementation on enteric CH4 production. Other GHG emissions along the chain were calculated using life cycle assessment. Total GHG emissions in the reference situation added up to 840kg of CO2 equivalents (CO2e) per t of fat- and protein-corrected milk (FPCM) and yearly labor income of €42,605. Supplementation of the extruded linseed product reduced emissions by 9kg of CO2e/t of FPCM and labor income by €16,041; supplementation of the dietary nitrate source reduced emissions by 32kg of CO2e/t of FPCM and labor income by €5,463; reducing the maturity stage of grass and grass silage reduced emissions by 11kg of CO2e/t of FPCM and labor income by €463. Of the 3 strategies, reducing grass maturity was the most cost-effective (€57/t of CO2e compared with €241/t of CO2e for nitrate supplementation and €2,594/t of CO2e for linseed supplementation) and had the greatest potential to be used in practice because the additional costs were low.
Animal Production Systems group, Wageningen University, PO Box 338,6700 AHWageningen, the Netherlands. Electronic address: Corina.vanMiddelaar@wur.nl.
C E
CE
Van Middelaar
Animal Nutrition group, Wageningen University, PO Box 338,6700 AHWageningen, the Netherlands.
J
J
Dijkstra
Business Economics group, Wageningen University, PO Box 8130, 6700 EW Wageningen, the Netherlands.
P B M
PB
Berentsen
Animal Production Systems group, Wageningen University, PO Box 338,6700 AHWageningen, the Netherlands.
I J M
IJ
De Boer
D000818:Animals; D002417:Cattle; D003362:Cost-Benefit Analysis; D003612:Dairying / Q000191:economics* / Q000379:methods; D005260:Female; D019597:Flax / Q000737:chemistry; D005740:Gases / Q000032:analysis; D017752:Greenhouse Effect / Q000191:economics*; D008892:Milk / Q000737:chemistry; D008894:Milk Proteins / Q000032:analysis; D009566:Nitrates / Q000008:administration & dosage; D012820:Silage
D005740:Gases; D008894:Milk Proteins; D009566:Nitrates
fat supplementation; grass quality; life cycle assessment; profitability