The latest climate legislation aids dairy in shrinking its ecological footprint.
By: Mary McMahon
Image 1. The United States Secretary of Agriculture, Senator Debbie Stabenow, and Congressman Dan Kildee talk about agricultural investments in the Inflation Reduction Act. Image accessed from the Department of Agriculture.
In August 2022, the United States Senate made its largest investment in U.S. farms since the 1930s Dust Bowl.
The Inflation Reduction Act is the most significant piece of climate legislation in the country’s history. The Act invests a total of $437 billion in clean energy initiatives and energy security. $30 billion of those investments specifically fund farmers’ responses to climate change, including several projects to reduce emissions and environmental harm from dairy agriculture.
Some criticize the act for investing in meat and dairy and failing to fund more plant-based solutions to the climate crisis. There’s no denying that dairy harms the environment. But for better or for worse, many Americans continue to consume dairy products. And for many Americans, dairy farming is a livelihood and a part of their family’s culture and history. The question now is how to keep both these legacies and the planet alive.
The industry is already looking for solutions, and legislation such as the Inflation Reduction Act can provide the money needed to continue doing so. From 2007 to 2017, U.S. dairy reduced water consumption by 30% and greenhouse gas emissions by 19%.
How has dairy tried to go green?
One way is by scaling up water recycling.
The Binversie family owns Robinway Dairy, a 1,550-cow farm outside Kiel, Wisconsin. The Binversies use a Livestock Water Recycling system which removes up to 75% of the water from manure. Every day they reuse about 15-20,000 gallons of this water once it is purified.
The family installed the system just before a drought hit Wisconsin in 2011-2012. That allowed the Binversies to continue to grow crops that fed their cattle through the drought. Here’s what the system looks like:
Image 2. The water recycling system on the Binversies farm. Image from Gloria Hafemeister, accessed through Wisconsin State Farmer.
The machine separates manure into three substances: purified water, a nutrient-rich liquid, and manure. The purified water is reused to chill dairy milk and wash away manure. The leftover manure and nutrient-infused liquid can fertilize crops.
Why reuse manure?
Green dairy isn’t just about water. Manure produces a powerful greenhouse gas– methane. Reducing methane emissions is a priority for governments and for dairy farmers. The U.S. has signed The Global Methane Pledge, committing to reducing methane emissions by at least 30% from their 2020 levels by 2030.
How can dairy farmers reduce methane emissions?
One way is with feed additives. Adding natural oils, chemicals, or other supplements to cattle’s typical diets restrains the bacteria that produce methane during digestion. Bovear is an additive approved for use in the EU, Chile, and Brazil. It has reduced methane emissions by 30%.
Farmers can limit the methane produced from manure by covering the manure before it starts breaking down and decomposing. Methane captured from manure can also be burned for energy, as the Krave brothers do. They own a 2,000-cow farm in Waterloo, Wisconsin. Waste from their cows produces enough power for their whole farm, cheese factory, and 300 nearby homes. The farm has two machines onsite called anaerobic methane digesters. These machines capture methane from manure while it decomposes. This methane can then be used like natural gas to power the farm and surrounding homes.
Approximately $7 billion of the Inflation Reduction Act’s investments fund projects aiming to reduce methane emissions. Much of this money goes to the Regional Conservation Partnership Program, which funds local projects to reduce methane emissions. $25 million also supports the Conservation Innovation Trials, which specifically target reducing methane emissions from cow digestion.
What’s the future of green dairy?
The Inflation Reduction Act makes significant investments in American agriculture. Although critics argue that it does not do enough to curb emissions from meat and dairy, $20 billion makes significant investments in efforts to restore ecosystems, reduce methane and carbon dioxide emissions, and directly pay farmers to partake in sustainability efforts.
The National Milk Producers Federation commended the Inflation Reduction Act for its investments in agricultural conservation. Jim Mulhern, the federation president, said, “The funding increases in this package will better position dairy farmers to effectively implement the dairy sector’s Net Zero Initiative and fulfill its 2050 environmental stewardship goals.”
In 2023, Congress will pass a new farm bill, as they do every five years. The new farm bill could build upon the Inflation Reduction Act’s efforts to fund agricultural projects and research that prioritize healthy ecosystems for animals and people, and focus on cutting harmful emissions.