P2DNZ Animal Nutrition Workstream Takes Big Step Forward

It takes a community to lay the groundwork for maximizing the global dairy sector’s ability to lower greenhouse gas emissions through animal nutrition.

That community came together in April in the Netherlands and took a big step forward in achieving that goal.

“We got people together so that we can identify the best ways to provide an environment in which those innovations can be brought to the marketplace,” says JJ Degan, the Ruminant Manager for Global Strategic Marketing for Trouw Nutrition. Trouw is the sponsor of Pathways to Dairy Net Zero (P2DNZ)’s animal nutrition workstream.

The three-day workshop culminated in the creation of a roadmap to reduce GHGs at the farm level.

The group decided the greatest impact could be achieved by collectively addressing these areas:

Optimizing Dairy Farming Systems
Improving Nutrition Systems
Improving Innovation Adoption
Building a Database of GHG Mitigation Innovations

The workshop was designed so participants could build systems to reach and implement on-farm actions at scale.

The aim of these systems would be to improve efficiencies and other outcomes to lower the footprint of milk production using newly developed methods.

Degan says the workstreams will leave no stone unturned as they examine ways to encourage different behaviours and management solutions among stakeholders to overcome the barriers.

“That’s where we really need that connection with farmer groups, with NGOs, with governments, with the private sector, with academia, because it’s going to take all of that together to break those barriers down, or at least figure out ways to go around those barriers.”

One of the many leaders working on this initiative is Torsten Hemme, who is a dairy economist and chairman of the International Farm Comparison Network (IFCN) Dairy Research Network.

He is part of the Optimizing Dairy Farming Systems team. This group will examine optimal farming systems worldwide. They will model systems to help them identify boundaries and constraints and determine how to address sustainability outcomes.

The idea is to build a model for what the dairy farm of the future will look like.

Hemme was excited that the workshop went far beyond feed and took a system approach and perspective to reduce a farm’s carbon footprint.

“The whole system approach is required,” Hemme said. “The second point we had was the feed system. The feed system is much wider than additives because we need to review how we can better feed our cows and optimize things in many places.”

In addition to improving nutrition systems and building a database of GHG mitigation Innovations, the group will turn that knowledge into action on the farm, which they call Innovation Adoption Pathfinder.

Hemme is excited because the farming system topic has never been high on the agenda for most people, with the exception of a handful of very dynamic farmers and in academia. He believes this line of thinking will move them from a basic farming system and innovation level to a structured strategic approach to farming systems.

“You have the land, the crops, you put it in the cows, you have the farmers or consumers. This is a biological engineering and social-economic engineering task.”

Once they have discovered optimal farming practices, they can be used in customized on-farm systems worldwide, providing individualized solutions for each unique operation.

Degan says this meeting has set the course for the group’s work. Now that the workstreams have been identified, they can begin working on them.

However, he cautions it’s not going to be done overnight.

“This is a five-year process, so this is not going to be a one-and-done type exercise.”

The aim is to continuously build on the foundations, leading to improved productivity and reduced GHGs on dairy farms worldwide.

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