Improved energy and water management to minimize the environmental impact of dairy farming

Publication date: 06/06/2017
Extent: 16 pages

Contributions by: J. Upton, E. Murphy and L. Shalloo, Teagasc, Ireland; M. Murphy, Cork Institute of Technology, Ireland; and I.J.M. De Boer and P.W.G. Groot Koerkamp, Wageningen University, The Netherlands

Chapter synopsis: As demand for animal products such as milk increases, the livestock sector places increasing demands on already scarce resources such as land, water and fossil fuels, while also contributing to environmental problems such as climate change. In this chapter, we consider how dairy farms can manage both energy consumption and water in order to minimize their environmental impacts. First, section 2 offers an overview of the current situation with respect to energy, and covers current usage, existing efficiency incentives and consumption modelling. Section 3 then presents two groups of strategies for addressing energy consumption: those which primarily aim to save on-farm energy costs, and those which aim to reduce not only costs, but also energy consumption and emissions. Section 4 reviews the results of these different groups of strategies, and makes recommendations for the development of dairy farming technology. Finally, section 5 addresses the issue of sustainable water use.

DOI: 10.19103/AS.2016.0005.31