Tackling the future challenges of Organic Animal Husbandry - vTI

! Agriculture and Forestry Research, Special Issue No 362 (Braunschweig, 2012) ISSN 0376-0723
Download: www.vti.bund.de/en/startseite/vti-publications/landbauforschung-special-issues.html
Abstract
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Sustainability Indicators for Low Carbon Farming
ALLEN G. MATTHEWS 1 , JUAN ALVEZ 2
1 School for Sustainability and the Environment, Chatham University, USA,
www.chatham.edu/sse/, eMail: allen.matthews1@chatham.edu
2 Center for Sustainable Agriculture, University of Vermont,
www.uvm.edu/sustainableagriculture/, eMail: juan.alvez@uvm.edu
This study with northeastern USA dairy farmers developed a self-assessment for indicators of sustainable
practices. Farms involved used these indicators to guide management decisions, made
significant improvements in stewardship practices which reduce environmental impacts.
The average size of the farms was 343 acres with 188 milking cows, represented approximately
12,690 acres, and managed a total of 11,400 head. Results showed a wide range of improved sustainable
production practices in the areas of animal husbandry, biodiversity, community health,
energy efficiency, farm financials, nutrient management, pest management, soil health, and water
management. This work continues as an applied collaborative initiative being implemented by the
“Caring Dairy” project in the USA and The Netherlands.
Significantly measureable changes observed included an increase use of cover crops and conservation
practices; reduced enery consumption; water management and improvement in health status.
Key words: indicators, sustainable, dairy farms, conservation practices
Introduction
To be sustainable, practices must enhance the natural environment and herd health, support profitability
and improve the quality of life for farmers and their communities.
The Dairy Stewardship Alliance (Alliance) Self-Assessment researched measurable indicators for
continuous improvement in farming practices across ten areas. The Alliance was a 4 year collaborative
effort between dairy farmers, the University of Vermont, Ben & Jerry's Inc., St. Albans Coop
and Vermont’s Agency of Agriculture.
For the farms involved, there have been significant improvements in stewardship practices. Support
is provided for farmers to develop a better understanding of their production practices, explore alternatives
and implement changes to improve the sustainability of their farm operations.
The opportunity of using these indicators to develop baseline measurements for carbon credits is
leading to a new focus for further research. In the USA there is an industry wide effort to identify
ways to reduce Green House Gas (GHG) emissions throughout the dairy production and distribution
system.
Material and methodology
The self-assessment tool has 10 modules encompassing social, environmental and economic indicators
which include:
• Animal Husbandry: Focuses on areas such as: herd nutrition, overall health, health of incoming
and outgoing animals, milk quality, lactation management and cull rates, housing and handling
areas, stalls, pasturing and milking equipment, parlor, and calf raising conditions.