California Dairy Farmers are Saving Money—and Cutting Methane Emissions—By Feeding Cows Leftovers

Jun 14, 2021

By Pam Knox

If you’re a dairy farmer, feeding leftovers or scraps to cows is nothing new. As long as you keep their diets well balanced, cows can eat a surprising variety of things and stay healthy. But feeding leftovers to cattle also provides another benefit–it reduces food waste, one of the biggest contributors to greenhouse gas emissions. Here is a recent story about California dairies’ use of almond hulls, spent grains, and other leftover food to cut methane emissions by diverting edible food products out of landfills, where they produce methane as they decompose. You can read it at Inside Climate News here.

Source : uga.edu

Video: Season 7, Episode 1: Managing Risk and Seeing Opportunities in U.S. Pork Production

Today’s episode features three guests discussing the similarities and differences between pork production in the United States and Brazil, along with strategies for managing risk in today’s industry while recognizing and acting on opportunities. First, Dr. Anne Caroline de Lara, executive manager of live pig production at Seara Alimentos, a JBS company in Brazil, is joined by Dr. Matthew Turner, head of operations for JBS Live Pork. Together, they discuss how labor, climate and ventilation challenges vary between Brazil and the United States, while underscoring their shared commitment to raising healthy pigs. They also point to lessons producers in both countries can take from one another’s systems and on-farm experiences. Then, Brady Reicks, risk manager at Reicks View Farms, shares his perspective on risk management, drawing from his background in markets and his transition into farming. He discusses how protecting margins varies by operation and offers practical approaches producers can use to make marketing and business decisions with greater confidence rather than hesitation.

Both conversations were recorded at recent industry events focused on swine livability, including the International Conference on Pig Livability and Iowa Swine Day.