Mooving to address climate change

Weekly Times
Wednesday 13/2/2008 Page: 93

SUSTAINABLE and profitable farming for the future has burst on to the agendas of Victorian dairy farmers as the climate change debate increases. Dairying is taking a big step towards reducing greenhouse gas. renewable energy and methane digesters. These new debates are taking centre stage at farm walks, field days and conferences across Australia. More than 30 per cent of Australia's greenhouse gas emissions are due to methane and nitrous oxide originating from agriculture. The dairy industry contributes about 12 per cent of all agricultural greenhouse gases in Australia and is the largest source of methane and nitrous oxide.

University of Melbourne researcher Richard Eckard has found greenhouse gas emissions increased when cows were fed poor-quality diets and with poor nitrogen fertiliser management. Researchers with the Victorian Department of Primary Industries are looking at ways for farmers to use greener technologies, such as harvesting methane gas from effluent to power dairy sheds. DPI effluent specialist Barrie Bradshaw said a new dairy farm trial at DPI Ellinbank was using dairy effluent as a source of bioenergy. Research findings could translate into a number of economic benefits for dairy producers. "We are studying the natural process of decomposition in ponds to produce methane gas and provide a suitable alternative to fossil fuel energies." Mr Bradshaw said.

Research findings are expected to reveal effluent routinely captured in a 500-cow dairy can produce methane equivalent to 4000 tonnes of carbon dioxide a year. This is enough to meet the farm's daily energy needs for heating water and cooling milk. Energy managing specialist Geoff Andrews has researched power alternatives to reduce greenhouse emissions on farms. Mr Andrews said there had been a big shift in thinking in the past year. "A year ago half the time we were convincing farmers something had to be done, now they want to know what they can do and how they can do it," he said. "Farmers have a lot of considerations to look at, but the two main aims are improving the efficiency of milk pre-coolers and heating water.

Things like checking plate coolers can be done straight away but the likes of developing methane digesters is probable at least two years off." Fonterra's Cobden milk supply officer Ron Page said the company was interested in looking at tapping into wind as an alternative means of heating and cooling water. As sustainable practices become more of a focus. Dairy Australia's Dairying for Tomorrow program, which encourages farmers to develop systems for healthy and sustainable communities and catchments, is gaining momentum. Dairying for Tomorrow coordinators around the state are gearing up to develop information pamphlets for farmers, to raise awareness of climate change. Gippsland co-ordinator Annette Zurrer said it was early days for the industry and its approaches to climate change. "At the moment we just want to spread as much knowledge and good science as we can," Ms Zurrer said.