Small organic dairy farms that focus on grazing and organic production techniques have the potential to store carbon and reduce greenhouse gas emissions, according to a study in the Journal of Cleaner Production, which cites research from a lifecycle assessment conducted on Organic Valley farms. Organic Valley is a farmer-owned organic cooperative and milk brand.
The research found that greenhouse gas emissions on organic dairy farms were 24 percent lower than the U.S. dairy averages, both due to carbon isolation and the benefits of organic pastures.
Led by Dr. Horacio Aguirre-Villegas, a scientist at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, the team considered the positive effects of cows spending time out on pasture. Other factors contributed to decreased greenhouse gas emissions, like the avoidance of synthetic crop inputs, the use of organic crop amendments, the longer lifespan of cattle, and the use of manure as fertilizer.
"The study proposes a method to include carbon sequestration not only in organic but all dairy farm-related LCA [life-cycle assessment] studies. This method is based on the amount of carbon staying in the soil from above ground residue, below ground residue, and manure," Aguirre-Villegas said. "The effect of management practices affecting the carbon stock are also considered, such as tillage, land use regime, management, and input of organic matter into the soil based on farm and region-specific variables such as the level of activity and temperature."
Organic Valley is also launching a carbon insetting program that purchases carbon reduction from farmers to help implement site-specific projects like agroforestry and on-farm renewable energy.
"We are committed to helping our farmers and all of dairy continually lessen our GHG emissions,” said Nicole Rakobitsch, director of Sustainability at Organic Valley, in a statement. “It's the right thing to do and consumers are looking for food that is good for the planet and their health."
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