whatiftool.comAlltech E-CO₂ - Increasing your profit and protecting the environment

Increasing your profit and protecting the environment Alltech E-CO₂ Portal Search for: Alltech E-CO 2 About us About Alltech On-Farm Support Feed Efficiency Gut Health Management Mycotoxin Management Mineral Management Protein Management Crop Science Keenan Environmental Farming The Carbon Story Sustainable Farming Farming Solutions Products & Services EA Environmental Assessments Swift-EA Environmental Assessments Aqua-print Cost of Production Our Tools Beef ‘What If?’ Tool Dairy ‘What If?’ Tool Lamb ‘What if?’ Tool Meetings & Consultancy Mobile Apps CowSignals ® Dairy Pro The Carbon Trust News Meet the Team Work for us Contact Alltech E-CO 2 About us About Alltech On-Farm Support Feed Efficiency Gut Health Management Mycotoxin Management Mineral Management Protein Management Crop Science Keenan Environmental Farming The Carbon Story Sustainable Farming Farming Solutions Products & Services EA Environmental Assessments Swift-EA Environmental Assessments Aqua-print Cost of Production Meetings & Consultancy Mobile Apps CowSignals ® Dairy Pro The Carbon Trust News Meet the Team Work for us Assessor Portal Contact At Alltech E-CO 2 we deliver and promote sustainability programmes To holistically measure and reduce agriculture’s environmental impact Through the effective use of on-farm assessment and data analysis. Working across the supply chain, Alltech E-CO 2 provides practical solutions To help increase on-farm efficiency and profitability, sustainably. At Alltech E-CO 2 we deliver and promote sustainability programmes for producers, processors, retailers and government to measure and reduce the emissions associated with producing agricultural products. We provide benchmark opportunities for on-farm efficiency, leading towards increased profitability and sustainability with a reduced carbon footprint. Our products and services EA ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT Alltech E-CO 2 ’s market leading, Carbon Trust accredited, EA environmental assessments provide a wealth of in-depth data on animal production, health, renewable energy, feed details, biodiversity, water and resource use. Read more AQUA-PRINT The Alltech E-CO 2 Aqua-print involves the creation of a unique farm water footprint. Read more SWIFT-EA ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT Using the well-established EA model, Alltech E-CO 2 offers the Swift-EA. Read more MEETINGS & CONSULTANCY Alltech E-CO 2 offers straightforward, practical advice to deliver the recommendations and improvements identified through our range of tools and services. Read more COST OF PRODUCTION Keep a track of your business performance with our unique costings tools. Read more MOBILE APPS Arla Forage Budgeting App will help you use your conserved forage resources more efficiently. Read more Improving agricultural sustainability A carbon footprint is a measure of the impact that a given activity is having on the environment. It is measured by the amount of greenhouse gas that is produced with the unit CO 2 e (carbon dioxide equivalent). Explore our virtual farms to learn more about where farm emissions come from. Select area... Electricity Enteric Emissions Feed use Artificial Fertiliser Fuel Nitrous oxide Other x Electricity Electricity use is often thought to generate a large proportion of a farms carbon footprint, but it only contributes around 1% on average of the total emissions of a farm. A variety of savings can be made, such as changing to more energy-efficient lighting. The use of renewables can help to reduce energy consumption from non-renewable sources and therefore help to improve a farm’s carbon footprint. Examples of renewable energy include solar, hydroelectric and wind. x Enteric Emissions Enteric emissions are the methane emissions released from the animal’s rumen during the digestion of feed and forage. On average, around 39% of a farm’s total carbon footprint comes from enteric emissions, making these the largest contributor to an average ruminant farm’s footprint. How can this be improved? Research has shown that each cow will produce a similar amount of methane per year regardless of yield, so maximising the yield means there will be less methane per litre of milk or kilogram of meat produced. How can production be maximised? Herd health – Improving the health and welfare of cows means that more milk or meat can be produced. Also, healthy cows may live longer, which reduces replacement rates for dairy enterprises. Reducing health cases such as mastitis and lameness can therefore help to lower the carbon footprint of a farm. Herd fertility – Rearing heifers requires resources without milk production. Therefore, ensuring efficient heifer management and calving to minimize dry days will help reduce the emissions associated with calf production. x Feed use Feed use is the next largest contributor to a ruminant carbon footprint, making up on average 22% of a footprint. As a result of this, to maximise feed stocks it is essential to ensure livestock have the highest possible feed efficiency. Access to feed and forage at all times is essential to ensure maximum feed intake. Purchased feeds have an associated carbon cost, so ensure that they are used and digested efficiently. By-products such as brewer’s grain have a lower carbon cost and so can act as low-carbon feed alternatives. In addition, ensuring that cows have a healthy balanced rumen will ensure fibre is fully digested, which in turn helps to gain more milk from forage and maximises feed efficiency and production. x Artificial Fertiliser Artificial fertiliser is often needed to ensure maximum crop yields. However, a large amount of carbon dioxide is produced during the production of artificial fertiliser. It is essential, therefore, to ensure that fertiliser use is both efficient and appropriate. Management practises such as soil and manure analysis combined with precision application of fertilisers, can help to reduce inefficient fertiliser use. x Fuel Fuel is often considered to be one of the largest contributors to a farms carbon footprint. However, this aspect of livestock production is often considerably lower than perceived and it only accounts for a small percentage of the total emissions from a farm. There is potential to reduce fuel consumption by ensuring all machinery is up to date, fit for purpose and well-maintained and that unnecessary use is avoided. x Nitrous oxide from manure and grazing The storage, management and usage of a farm’s manure (or of purchased manure) results in N 2 O emissions. Nitrous oxide is emitted from the soil as a result of nitrogen application. N2O has a significantly high Global Warming Potential (GWP), making it a particularly damaging greenhouse gas (GHG). Precision application of manure at the correct time and at the correct application rate can help to ensure that emissions are reduced. x Other (incl. bedding, spray, and lime). Various other inputs into a farm have a carbon footprint. Inputs such as sprays, bedding and lime contribute a small amount to a farm’s carbon emissions. Select area... Enteric fermentation Feed Energy Manure Piglets and chicks Transportation Water & disinfectants x Enteric fermentation This refers to the fermentation of feed material within the animal’s digestive system. Within monogastric animals, this is much less significant than within ruminants. This can be affected by the size and type of animal, along with the physical and nutritional properties of the feed blends. x Feed The greatest cost within a pig and poultry production system is likely to be the purchase of feed. So too the success of a system is closely related to the efficiency and conversion of this feed input. Within our model we use specific diet information about constituent feeds that are used to compose the concentrates. The emissions from feed will be a result of the fertiliser, fuel, land use change implications of the growing crop, and also the energy used in the feed mill facility to form and process...