For more: http://www.extension.org/67689 Quantifying the long term environmental impacts of dairy and beef production is complex due to the many interactions among the physical and biological components of farms that affect the amount and type of emissions that occur. Emissions are influenced by climate and soil characteristics as well as internal management practices. Software models are needed to perform an integrated and comprehensive assessment of all important environmental and economic effects of farm management and mitigation strategies.

1. Software for Evaluating the
Environmental Impact of Dairy
and Beef Production Systems
USDA, Agricultural Research Service
University Park, Pennsylvania
C. Alan Rotz

2.  Economic concerns
 Environmental concerns
 Social concerns

3.  Production costs continue to increase more
rapidly than the value of farm produce
 This is forcing our farms to become more
efficient and often larger
 Larger farms tend to exacerbate
environmental concerns

4.  Groundwater
 Surface water
 Air quality

7.  Process-level simulation provides
an effective tool
 Relatively rapid, inexpensive,
and comprehensive evaluations
 Supported with field
data, provides the best
assessment possible

8.  Life Cycle Assessment: an environmental
accounting program
 Process-based model: a simulation of the
production system
 Combined simulation and LCA:
Simulation is used to provide the
parameters for the LCA

9.  Integrated Farm Systems
Model, IFSM
 Dairy Greenhouse Gas
Model, DairyGHG
 Dairy Gas Emissions
Model, DairyGEM

10. Integrated Farm System Model

11. Process-Level Farm Simulation
Soil
Establish
Crop Harvest
Storage
AnimalManure
Grazing
Volatile loss
Exported manure
Purchased feed,
bedding, etc.
Feed sold
Volatile loss
Fixed
nutrients
Volatile loss
Purchased
fertilizer
Runoff &
Leaching loss
Milk and
animals
Engine exhaust

12.  Crop yields and quality
 Feeds produced
 Feeds bought and sold
 Milk or meat produced
 Manure produced
 Labor, fuel and equipment use

13.  Annual production costs (crop
production, harvest, storage, feeding,
etc.)
 Annual income from milk, animals, and
feed sold
 Net return or profitability

14.  Ammonia emission
 Hydrogen sulfide emission
 Denitrification N loss
 Leached N and N concentration in groundwater
 Erosion, soluble and sediment P runoff losses
 Greenhouse gas emissions
 N, P, K and C balance

15.  Carbon emission
 Energy use
 Water use
 Reactive nitrogen loss

16. Feed Production
Animal Production
Manure Handling
Resource inputs
Fuel
Electricity
Fertilizer
Pesticide
Plastic
Machinery
Off-farm heifers
Purchased feed
Imported manure
Milk sold
Animals sold
Feed sold
Exported manure
Direct Sinks and Sources
Fixed CO2 CO2 N2O CH4 CO2 CH4 CO2 N2O
Farm
Pre-chain Sources
CO2 CH4 N2O
Emissions
allocated to
other farm
products
(Cradle-to-farm gate)

17.  A research tool for evaluating and comparing
the economic and environmental
sustainability of crop, dairy and beef
production systems
 An educational tool for individual, workshop
and classroom evaluation of production
systems
 Limited value as a decision
support tool

18. Dairy Gas Emission Model
Soil
Establish
Crop Harvest
Storage
AnimalManure
Grazing
Volatile loss
Exported manure
Purchased feed,
bedding, etc.
Feed sold
Volatile loss
Fixed
nutrients
Volatile loss
Purchased
fertilizer
Runoff &
Leaching loss
Milk and
animals
Engine exhaust

19.  A simpler tool with fewer inputs and more
graphical output
 Primarily developed as an educational aid
for individual, workshop and classroom
evaluation of dairy production systems
 Can be used as a decision
support tool, but caution
is advised

20.  Verification of components
 Process-level evaluation
 Farm level evaluation

21. 0
20
40
60
80
100
120
140
0 50 100 150 200 250 300 350 400 450 500 550 600 650 700
Day of year
Ammoniaemission,g/cow-day
Measured
Simulated

22. Storage type Anaerobic digester
Incorporation

23.  Herd of 1100 cows plus 925 replacement heifers
producing 26,000 lb of milk (3.5% fat) per cow
 2500 acres of shallow loam soil (840 acres
alfalfa, 1200 acres corn, 200 acres wheat, 120 acre
soybean, and 150 acres grass)
 Manure handling includes anaerobic
digestion, liquid/solid separation, rapid
incorporation, export of 12% of manure solids
 Simulated for 25 years of Syracuse, NY weather

24.  Slurry storage, surface application, and no-till
crop establishment with no manure incorporation
 Liquid/solid separation, recycling of solids for
bedding, open storage, rapid incorporation of
stored liquid following surface application, export
of 12% of manure solids
 Same as 2, except manure storage is enclosed and
a flare is used to burn the biogas produced
 Same as 2, except an anaerobic digester is used
prior to separation and storage

25. 0
300
600
900
lb/ac/yr
Open Enclosed Anaerobic
Slurry storage storage digester
No-till Liquid/solid separation, tillage incorp.

26. 0.0
0.2
0.4
0.6 Dissolved
Sediment
lb/ac/yr
Open Enclosed Anaerobic
Slurry storage storage digester
No-till Liquid/solid separation, tillage incorp.

27. Nitrogen Loss
0
20
40
60
80
100
Volatilization
Leaching
Denitirfication
lb/ac/yr
Open Enclosed Anaerobic
Slurry storage storage digester
No-till Liquid/solid separation, tillage incorp.

28. 0.000
0.002
0.004
0.006
0.008
lb CO2e/lb FPCM
Open Enclosed Anaerobic
Slurry storage storage digester
No-till Liquid/solid separation, tillage incorp.

29. Greenhouse Gas Emissions
0
2
4
6
8
10
12 Secondary
Fuel
Manure
Animal
t CO2e/cow/yr
Open Enclosed Anaerobic
Slurry storage storage digester
No-till Liquid/solid separation, tillage incorp.

30. 0.0
0.2
0.4
0.6
0.8
lb CO2e/lb FPCM
Open Enclosed Anaerobic
Slurry storage storage digester
No-till Liquid/solid separation, tillage incorp.

31. 0.0
0.2
0.4
0.6
0.8
1.0
mBtu/lb FPCM
Open Enclosed Anaerobic
Slurry storage storage digester
No-till Liquid/solid separation, tillage incorp.

32. 0
500
1000
1500
2000
2500
3000
3500
Milk hauling
Energy
Purchased feed
Livestock
Cropping
Machinery
Facilities
Labor
Land
$/cow/yr
Open Enclosed Anaerobic
Slurry storage storage digester
No-till Liquid/solid separation, tillage incorp.

33. 1000
1100
1200
1300
1400
1500
$/cow/yr
Open Enclosed Anaerobic
Slurry storage storage digester
No-till Liquid/solid separation, tillage incorp.

34. Provides similar results for:
 Ammonia, hydrogen sulfide, methane, nitrous
oxide and carbon dioxide emissions
 Carbon, energy and water footprints
0.0
0.2
0.4
0.6
0.8
1.0
mBtu/lbFPCM
0.0
0.2
0.4
0.6
0.8
lbCO2e/lbFPCM
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
tCO2e/cow/yr
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
lb/ac/yr

35.  The Integrated Farm System Model (IFSM)
provides a research tool for evaluating the
environmental impacts and economics of farming
systems
 The Dairy Gas Emissions Model (DairyGEM)
provides an educational aid for studying the
effects of farm management and mitigation
strategies on air emissions and related footprints

36. USDA
Pasture Systems and Watershed
Management Research Unit
University Park, Pennsylvania
Agricultural Research Service