Equipment is key to carbon neutrality in the beef and dairy industries

The beef and dairy industries have outlined comprehensive plans to achieve net zero over the next few decades. Achieving this goal will require thoughtful action by various stakeholders, including beef and milk producers themselves, logistics providers, processors and sellers.

Agricultural equipment manufacturers also have an important role to play in these efforts. Modern, innovative equipment itself produces fewer emissions while helping to improve efficiency and energy use in many aspects of cattle farming. Moreover, the variety of equipment used every day on beef and dairy farms can help collect the data needed to measure and monitor activities and progress.

“There is definitely a need for more granularity in the data,” said Samantha Werth, executive director American Roundtable for Sustainable Beef and the company’s senior director of sustainability National Cattlemen’s Beef Association. “It is also important to ensure that producers have the opportunity to have high-quality data that they could potentially be compensated for having. When technology can make that easier, it’s incredibly helpful.”

“When different models are used, we often look at the industry from the top down,” added Fabian Bernal, vice president of environmental sustainability measurement and modeling at Dairy Management Inc. “In fact, the most important things happen from the bottom up. As real farm- and process-level data becomes available, it can be used as a reporting methodology to support industry efforts. This is very different from relying on models, assessments and “best predictions” based on big data. This is where we can become truly strong as an industry working to achieve our global goals.”

Bernal and Werth participated in an educational webinar for AEM members on May 16. They each took turns taking to the virtual podium to share what their organizations are doing to help the beef and dairy industries achieve long-term carbon and climate goals.

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DAIRY INDUSTRY STRIVES FOR GREENHOUSE GAS NEUTRAL BY 2050

This year was important for the dairy industry. A strategic roadmap and emissions baseline have been established, with the first reported industry progress expected to be achieved in 2025. The roadmap sets the following targets:

• Greenhouse gas neutrality by 2050
• Optimized water consumption while maximizing recycling
• Improving water quality by optimizing the use of manure and nutrients

The goals were developed by leaders from across the dairy industry value chain, including farmers, cooperative processors, retailers and others. There is also a lengthy public comment period to ensure the voices of all interested parties are heard.

The The dairy industry’s Net Zero initiative has already received a lot of support. In 2020–2021, approximately $31 million in external support flowed from corporate partners and granting agencies.

“The Net Zero initiative has led to the creation of two important areas of systems management,” Bernal explained. “The first is a national greenhouse gas target measurement calculator. This is where “big data” plays a role in industry analytics. The second is Farm ES + RuFaS, i.e. bottom-up farm data that forms the basis of national data. I hope these two models will merge. According to Bernal, about 80% of total U.S. milk reports to this system.

Bernal pointed out that the dairy industry action plan is “strategic” rather than “tactical” in nature, setting out specific actions. That said, the industry is focused on understanding the decarbonization potential of available agricultural practices and technologies, as well as any barriers to adoption and achieving scale.

As Bernal explained, there are many ways to decarbonize the dairy industry because there are many sources of cradle-to-farm emissions, including enteric fermentation, anaerobic manure digestion, energy use on dairy farms, feed production and others.

“Equipment is crucial at all stages of running a farm,” Bernal said. “We are looking at about 100 different science-backed technologies, along with about 120 agricultural practices and the types of equipment required to implement these technologies. The only way to achieve our goals is through technology and innovation.

“When real farm- and process-level data becomes available, it can be used as a reporting methodology to support industry efforts. This is very different from relying on models, assessments and “best predictions” based on big data. This is where we can become truly strong as an industry working to achieve our global goals.” — Fabian Bernal of Dairy Management Inc

BEEF INDUSTRY EYES CLIMATE NEUTRALITY UNTIL 2040

U.S. cattle producers and the broader beef supply chain will also look to reduce total emissions over the next few decades. “Our goal of achieving climate neutrality involves reducing overall emissions and determining which emissions we need to achieve to achieve real warming impact,” Werth explained.

The four sectors of the beef supply chain have identified specific targets and actions that will help the beef industry achieve its goal of climate neutrality by 2040.

Cow/calf sector. Currently, only 11% of producers have written grazing management plans. The sector would like to see this development grow to the point where 385 million acres will be covered by GMP by 2050. This requires an increase of approximately 13 million acres per year. “We have focused on creating tools and resources to help encourage producers to better implement grazing management plans,” Werth said.

Feed sector. This sector is facing a challenge. While feedlots would like to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 10% per pound of beef by 2030, there is evidence that emissions in this sector may actually be increasing. “The animals are bigger and take longer to feed,” Werth noted. “Although cattle are more productive and gain more efficiently, extending them by about seven days has an impact on emissions.”

Werth said the feedyard sector is also being impacted by external market forces. For example, consumer demand for natural products that do not use hormonal implants is leading to reduced productivity in this sector.

“We are working with the feed industry to think about other innovative ways to meet consumer needs while meeting our greenhouse gas reduction goals,” Werth said. “Some of this may come from various additives, genetic technologies and technologies related to ration innovation.”

Packers and processors. The sector would like 90% of the beef processed in the U.S. to come from companies with a greenhouse gas reduction strategy that reports against that strategy. Weth said the next steps include determining how to support the sector with various technology and infrastructure adaptations to help achieve this goal.

Retail and food services. The initial goal was to reduce Scope 1 and 2 emissions by 2023. Werth said 85% of companies have achieved that goal. For the few who didn’t, questions about the legal consequences got in the way. “We’re focused on creating resources and helping this sector establish what a credible goal looks like, and also helping companies establish a credible plan to actually achieve that goal,” Werth said.

The second current target in this sector is to reduce Scope 3 emissions by 2030. “We also want to have a strategic plan by 2030 with concrete steps to achieve climate neutrality for the Scope 1, 2 and 3 beef value chain by 2040” – Werth added.

The year 2040, and even more so 2050, may seem far away. However, various stakeholders in the beef and dairy industries will continue to take important steps. Innovative farm equipment will play an important role in many of these steps, from on-farm data collection to how the farm runs more efficiently.

AEM will cooperate with Dairy Management Inc. and the U.S. Sustainable Beef Roundtable to host roundtables later this year to better discuss the role equipment will play in their respective initiatives. For more information, contact Austin Gellings at AEM at [email protected].