Dairy Farmer’s Practices Benefit Environment, Bottom Line
Submitted by Editor on Fri, 11/20/2009 - 4:50pm.
Jennifer Merritt
Virginia Correspondent
HUDDLESTON, Va. — It is not as good as a larger milk check, but it is a little good news for dairy farmers. Cornell University recently released a study stating that dairy farms today have a much smaller carbon footprint than their 1940 counterparts. According to the study, which was released in the Journal of Animal Science, the carbon footprint for a gallon of milk produced in 2007 was just 37 percent of one produced in 1944. Improvements in dairy genetics, nutrition and herd management, as well as animal welfare practices account for the significant cut in the impact of dairy farms on the environment.
“A common perception is that pastured-based, low-input dairy systems characteristic of the 1940s were more conducive to environmental stewardship than modern milk production systems,” says the study’s abstract. The study’s conclusion found that the dairy farms of today are much more efficient than mid-century farms. In 1944, 25.6 million cows produced 117 billion pounds of milk in a year. By 2007, 9.2 million cows were producing 186 billion pounds of milk. Today’s dairy farms use 10 percent of the land, 23 percent of the feedstuffs and 35 percent of the water that farms used in the 1940s.
In 1944 the average cow produced 4,572 pounds of milk per year. By 2007 that number had risen to 20,267 pounds of milk per year. The Cornell study attributes a significant amount of that efficiency, about 55 percent, to improved genetics. Common breeds in the 1940s were high milk-solid producing breeds like the Jerseys and Guernseys. That has changed to the higher milk volume Holsteins. Only 39 percent of milk cows were Holsteins in 1944 compared to 90 percent today. AI (artificial insemination) is also prevalent today and has been since the 1970s. Only 30 percent of cows in 2007 were bred by natural service and 70 percent were bred using AI.
Don Gardner, owner of Gardner Heifers Inc., is aware of the importance of good genetics and herd management first hand. Along with his son, Sam who acts as farm manager, son Andy, and wife Susan, Gardner runs a custom heifer operation in Huddleston, Va. Gardner and his wife met in vet school, and both had careers as veterinarians. Susan recently retired, but Don Gardner still practices as a large animal veterinarian. Working with farmers, Gardner saw young stock not getting as much attention as the milking cows.
“Heifers were always the group of animals that got the short end of the stick,” said Gardner. It was a classic case of the squeaky wheel getting the grease. “If a milk cow doesn’t get fed (correctly), you see it in the milk check. There are so many demands on a farmer’s time. Most farms don’t have enough labor to get all the jobs done.”
Dairy farmers can send their young stock to Gardner Heifers Inc. to fill the gap. Gardner raises heifers, predominantly Holstein, from 5 months until about two months before they are ready to calve. The heifers are bred using AI and fed total mix ration (TMR) and free choice hay. In the Cornell study TMR is another significant contributor in reducing a dairy’s carbon footprint. According to the study the decrease in the quantity of feedstuff is related to both the decrease in the number of animals being fed and the increase in the nutritive value of the feed. Don Gardner sees a profit driven reason as well as an environmental one.
“If I could get a farmer to put the same effort into young stock as in lactating cows and corn, (they) would see an increase in farm profit consistently,” said Gardner.
In addition to careful herd management, Gardner has found another way to protect and improve the environment. Gardner Heifers Inc. received a Soil Conservation Award in 2003 and the Farm Water Quality Award in 2005. They use no till and minimum till farming practices.
“We’ve been doing it for a long time,” said Gardner. “And the soil is staying put.”
The Gardners also use a vertical ripper. “We always saw benefits after we used it (vertical ripper),” said Gardner. “So last fall we bought one.”
The vertical ripper has a cutting wheel that cuts through the surface of the earth allowing the arrow shaped shaft to pass through. A wide wheel follows behind tamping down any clumps of soil raised by the ripper. The vertical ripper breaks up soil compaction without disturbing the plants on the surface. Gardner credits the vertical ripper with increasing water penetration in the soil. It is a benefit when it is both too dry and too wet. Last July and August were very dry on his Bedford County, Va. farm and he had the best corn crop in six years.
“I attribute a lot of that to the vertical ripper capturing the water (in the spring). Every drop of water went in the ground. It didn’t run off,” said Gardner.
Avoiding runoff is important during wet seasons as well. “We just had six inches of rain,” said Gardner gesturing across his sloping fields. “There is not a wash in this field.”
Like almost everyone else in the dairy industry, the Gardners are experiencing challenging times. Currently they are raising 400 heifers on a facility with the capacity to support 750 head. They are using the extra time to work on things that needed to be done like upgrading their fencing. Gardner worries, however, about dairy farmers taking short cuts because of a lack of money.
“A lot of things are not being done on dairy farms because of economics,” said Gardner. “Farmers turn young stock out on the pasture with a bull and hope they’ll be there when she freshens.”
To Gardner, young stock represents the future of the herd.
Jennifer MerrittVirginia Correspondent
HUDDLESTON, Va. — It is not as good as a larger milk check, but it is a little good news for dairy farmers. Cornell University recently released a study stating that dairy farms today have a much smaller carbon footprint than their 1940 counterparts. According to the study, which was released in the Journal of Animal Science, the carbon footprint for a gallon of milk produced in 2007 was just 37 percent of one produced in 1944. Improvements in dairy genetics, nutrition and herd management, as well as animal welfare practices account for the significant cut in the impact of dairy farms on the environment.
“A common perception is that pastured-based, low-input dairy systems characteristic of the 1940s were more conducive to environmental stewardship than modern milk production systems,” says the study’s abstract. The study’s conclusion found that the dairy farms of today are much more efficient than mid-century farms. In 1944, 25.6 million cows produced 117 billion pounds of milk in a year. By 2007, 9.2 million cows were producing 186 billion pounds of milk. Today’s dairy farms use 10 percent of the land, 23 percent of the feedstuffs and 35 percent of the water that farms used in the 1940s.
In 1944 the average cow produced 4,572 pounds of milk per year. By 2007 that number had risen to 20,267 pounds of milk per year. The Cornell study attributes a significant amount of that efficiency, about 55 percent, to improved genetics. Common breeds in the 1940s were high milk-solid producing breeds like the Jerseys and Guernseys. That has changed to the higher milk volume Holsteins. Only 39 percent of milk cows were Holsteins in 1944 compared to 90 percent today. AI (artificial insemination) is also prevalent today and has been since the 1970s. Only 30 percent of cows in 2007 were bred by natural service and 70 percent were bred using AI.
Don Gardner, owner of Gardner Heifers Inc., is aware of the importance of good genetics and herd management first hand. Along with his son, Sam who acts as farm manager, son Andy, and wife Susan, Gardner runs a custom heifer operation in Huddleston, Va. Gardner and his wife met in vet school, and both had careers as veterinarians. Susan recently retired, but Don Gardner still practices as a large animal veterinarian. Working with farmers, Gardner saw young stock not getting as much attention as the milking cows.
“Heifers were always the group of animals that got the short end of the stick,” said Gardner. It was a classic case of the squeaky wheel getting the grease. “If a milk cow doesn’t get fed (correctly), you see it in the milk check. There are so many demands on a farmer’s time. Most farms don’t have enough labor to get all the jobs done.”
Dairy farmers can send their young stock to Gardner Heifers Inc. to fill the gap. Gardner raises heifers, predominantly Holstein, from 5 months until about two months before they are ready to calve. The heifers are bred using AI and fed total mix ration (TMR) and free choice hay. In the Cornell study TMR is another significant contributor in reducing a dairy’s carbon footprint. According to the study the decrease in the quantity of feedstuff is related to both the decrease in the number of animals being fed and the increase in the nutritive value of the feed. Don Gardner sees a profit driven reason as well as an environmental one.
“If I could get a farmer to put the same effort into young stock as in lactating cows and corn, (they) would see an increase in farm profit consistently,” said Gardner.
In addition to careful herd management, Gardner has found another way to protect and improve the environment. Gardner Heifers Inc. received a Soil Conservation Award in 2003 and the Farm Water Quality Award in 2005. They use no till and minimum till farming practices.
“We’ve been doing it for a long time,” said Gardner. “And the soil is staying put.”
The Gardners also use a vertical ripper. “We always saw benefits after we used it (vertical ripper),” said Gardner. “So last fall we bought one.”
The vertical ripper has a cutting wheel that cuts through the surface of the earth allowing the arrow shaped shaft to pass through. A wide wheel follows behind tamping down any clumps of soil raised by the ripper. The vertical ripper breaks up soil compaction without disturbing the plants on the surface. Gardner credits the vertical ripper with increasing water penetration in the soil. It is a benefit when it is both too dry and too wet. Last July and August were very dry on his Bedford County, Va. farm and he had the best corn crop in six years.
“I attribute a lot of that to the vertical ripper capturing the water (in the spring). Every drop of water went in the ground. It didn’t run off,” said Gardner.
Avoiding runoff is important during wet seasons as well. “We just had six inches of rain,” said Gardner gesturing across his sloping fields. “There is not a wash in this field.”
Like almost everyone else in the dairy industry, the Gardners are experiencing challenging times. Currently they are raising 400 heifers on a facility with the capacity to support 750 head. They are using the extra time to work on things that needed to be done like upgrading their fencing. Gardner worries, however, about dairy farmers taking short cuts because of a lack of money.
“A lot of things are not being done on dairy farms because of economics,” said Gardner. “Farmers turn young stock out on the pasture with a bull and hope they’ll be there when she freshens.”
To Gardner, young stock represents the future of the herd.
