Why the Farm Bill Matters to Dairy Farmers

May 28, 2018

The biggest policy tool for agriculture and food in our country is in limbo. The GOP-controlled House of Representatives failed to pass its version of the $80-billion-a-year Farm Bill.

Conservatives wanted a vote on a hard-line immigration bill first. And for the first time in decades, all Democrats voted no because of changes to food stamps they said would push more than a million people off the rolls.

Senate leaders say they’re close to a bipartisan version of the Farm Bill that doesn’t include the food stamp changes. It remains unclear when the House will return to the legislation.

The delay is bad news for farmers in New York, especially dairy farmers suffering through a fourth straight year of low milk prices.

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Video: Swine Industry Advances: Biodigesters Lower Emissions and Increase Profits

Analysis of greenhouse gas (GHG emissions) in the Canadian swine sector found that CH4 emissions from manure were the largest contributor to the overall emissions, followed by emissions from energy use and crop production.

This innovative project, "Improving Swine Manure-Digestate Management Practices Towards Carbon Neutrality With Net Zero Emission Concepts," from Dr. Rajinikanth Rajagopal, under Swine Cluster 4, seeks to develop strategies to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions.

While the management of manure can be very demanding and expensive for swine operations, it can also be viewed as an opportunity for GHG mitigation, as manure storage is an emission source built and managed by swine producers. Moreover, the majority of CH4 emissions from manure occur during a short period of time in the summer, which can potentially be mitigated with targeted intervention.

In tandem with understanding baseline emissions, Dr. Rajagopal's work focuses on evaluating emission mitigation options. Manure additives have the potential of reducing manure methane emissions. Additives can be deployed relatively quickly, enabling near-term emission reductions while biodigesters are being built. Furthermore, additives can be a long-term solution at farms where biogas is not feasible (e.g., when it’s too far from a central digester). Similarly, after biodigestion, additives can also be used to further reduce emissions from storage to minimize the carbon intensity of the bioenergy.