Milk processors and emissions
OPINION: Reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions – especially scope 3 emissions that occur on the farm – has been on the agenda of leading dairy companies for many years.
New research headed by Lincoln University finds that delaying when animals are fed means they will urinate at night in colder temperatures.
The cooler temperatures mean less nitrous oxide, a greenhouse gas, is produced from the nitrogen in the urine.
Co-author Dr Jim Gibbs, senior lecturer at Lincoln University in livestock health and production, said understanding the relationship between time of feeding and subsequent nitrogen excretion may lead to better farm management strategies to reduce greenhouse gas output.
"Animals fed in both the morning and afternoon excreted approximately 60% of their urine volume and total urea within 12 hours of being offered fresh feed.
"This work sugegests that shifting animals to new pasture late afternoon would result in more urinary notrogen being deposited at night when lower ambient temperatures should lead to reduced volatisation and lower N2O production."
"This is good news for the dairy industry, as South Island farmers already use evening shifts for fresh feed, to better judge pasture use in daylight hours. This work shows the value of evaluating management of the whole production system to improve farming outcomes."
The work was funded by the Ministry of Primary Industries Sustainable Land Management and Climate Change (SLMACC) Fund.
Meat processor Alliance Group is asking farmer shareholders to inject more capital in order to remain a 100% co-operative.
A vet is calling for all animals to be vaccinated against a new strain of leptospirosis (lepto) discovered on New Zealand dairy farms in recent years.
Dairy
Rural banker Rabobank is partnering with Food Rescue Kitchen on a new TV series which airs this weekend that aims to shine a light on the real and growing issues of food waste, food poverty and social isolation in New Zealand.
Telco infrastructure provider Chorus says that it believes all Kiwis – particularly those in the rural areas – need access to high-speed, reliable broadband.
World Veterinary Day falls on Saturday 27 April.
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