Transcript Slide 1

Working
Lunch!
NACAA: July 17, 2007
Grand Rapids, MI
Dave Beede
Dept. Animal Science
Michigan State University
Environmental Opportunities
for Animal Agriculture:
Extension’s Critical Role
Dave Beede
Two Questions ?
• What are
current and
future
environmental
opportunities
for animal
agriculture?
• What should be
and/or are
Extension’s
roles?
http://www.mdr.msu.edu
•
•
•
•
•
Overview
Working Lunch
Two Questions (handout)
‘Systems Thinking’ in farms?
Criteria for Evaluation of Agriculture Systems
Potential Climate Revenue Centers, Market
Opportunities
• Applied Research?
• Extension’s Current and Future Role
Animal Farm
Animal Farm
?
Animal Farm……..
Dairy Farm (System)
Dairy Production System
http://www.mdr.msu.edu
MSU Extension Dairy Team, 2006
Industry vs. Agriculture
Production Systems
• Industry:
– Straight line production process
• Raw materials  product  replacement over time
• Highly efficient operations
• Little waste material resulting from process
• Agriculture:
– Circular flow of nutrients (cycle)
– Products and wastes leave cycle
• May re-enter cycle
– Human/societal waste, food residues, etc.
– Raindrops collect gases and particulates from air
• Sustainable (systemic), but not perpetual
Hoshiba, S. 2002. In: Greenhouse Gases and Animal Agriculture
Industry vs. Agriculture
Production Systems
• ‘Industrial Agriculture’
– Straight line production
•
•
•
•
Import of some raw materials (feed, fertilizer, bedding)
Raw materials  product  exported
Quite inefficient (25 to 35% for animal products)
Large amounts of waste; e.g., dairy…….
►(240 lb intake – 90 lb milk) = 150 lb out as manure
• Accumulation of nutrients (risk)?
• Not sustainable
-
Paradigm of industry is not directly
transferable to agriculture
Hoshiba, S. 2002. In: Greenhouse Gases and Animal Agriculture
Dairy Production System
methane,
ammonia
methane,
ammonia
http://www.mdr.msu.edu
MSU Extension Dairy Team, 2006
NRC (2003) Committee:
Scientific Evaluation
Commissioned by USDA and US EPA
Percent of Total US Air Emissions
NRC (2003) & Van Aardenne et al (2001)
NH3-N
Source
N2O-N
NOx-N
CH4-C
VOCs
- - - - - - - - - - - - Percent of Total - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Ag & natural land
36
25
5
1
NA~?
Ag Animals
50
25
1
18
NA~?
Fossil/ biofuel burning
7
25
88
53
42
Industrial processes
0
25
1
0
49
Ag burning
4
0
3
2
5
Landfills
4
0
3
24
0
Total, Tg
2.8
0.4
7.6
30.9
24.3
1 Tg = 1 teragram = 1 million metric tonnes
ammonia, nitrous oxide, nitric oxide, methane, VOCs
The (single) farm as a system
Environment
Manure
Feeds
FARM
Crops
Farm boundary
Animals
Environment
The farm as a system
In- and outflow of nutrients
Emissions, dust
Environment
Feeds
Emissions, runoff
Manure
Imports
Crops
Animals
Meat & Milk
Exports
Inorganic P
Environment
The farm (F-x) as a sub-system
U.S. farms
F-7
F-1
F-9….
F-6
F-3
F-2
F-5
F-8
F-4
The farm as a sub-system
Systems are:
• Artificial – imposed by humans
• Hierarchical structure
– Systems of lower levels are sub-systems of
higher levels
– Higher systems create new entities
• e.g., trade organizations, cooperatives, markets
– Systems are embedded in an environment
• Material and energy flows amongst each other
• Interact with each other
If the System is all livestock and crop
farms, where does the Phosphorus in
corn distiller’s grains come from?!
F-7
F-1
F-9…
F-6
F-3
F-2
F-5
F-8
F-4
Specific example of systems-approach
Origin of P accumulating in U.S.-Agricultural System
Answer:
Specific example of systems-approach
U.S.-agricultural system
Net phosphorus flow
• Not added to the system by corn
distiller’s grains
– Just not re-distributed evenly
• Inflow of P to the system
– Mined inorganic P (feed, fertilizer)
– May not (does not!) counterbalance P outflow
P in Distiller’s Grains
• Dairy industry takes on an industrial waste
product (DGs) and transforms (part of) it into
a valuable product (milk).
• Who is the polluter?
• Who is the (re)mediator?
• Question: Environmental cost?!
• Who is and should be responsible?
Agricultural production systems
Criteria of evaluation?
1. Profitability, economic efficiency
Bottom line for farms (sub-systems)
2. Input of fossil fuel (energy)
3. Environmental load
Ecological sustainability or stewardship
4. Animal welfare
5. Human welfare
(social benefit)
Kawakami et al., 2000.
Agricultural production systems
Criteria of evaluation?
1. Profitability, economic efficiency
– Bottom line for farms (sub-systems)
2. Input of fossil fuel (energy)
– Net addition of CO2
3. Environmental load
(P, C, N; chem. species?)
4. Animal welfare
5. Human welfare
(social benefit)
How to assess
these? They
may not affect
bottom line
directly.
Kawakami et al., 2000.
Agricultural production systems
Cost of environmental load
•
•
Time lag
Partially ‘exported’ into ‘environment’ (the
community)
–
–
–
–
–
Who is responsible for cost of environmental ‘clean
up’? e.g., from EtOH production?
Up-front cost (prevention) cheaper?
How is farmer paid for compliance?
Cheap food policy vs. environmental protection??
Climate/ environmental market potential for
farmers?
The farm as a subsystem
Dynamic over time
Adapted from R. Bawden, MSU
Exploring the Environment:
N-S-P-E-C-T
Natural
Technological
•Biodiversity
•Resources
•Climate
•Energy
•Military
•Information and Media
•Mech., Transport & Manufact.
Cultural
System
Social
•Social Organizations
•Laws, Order & Regulations
•Health, Safety & Security
•Pop. Dynmcs & Employ
Political
•Prevailing Ideologies
•Lifestyle, Leisure & Entertmt
•Forms of Government
•Religion & Spirituality
Economic •Political Leadership
•Literature and Art
•Constitution
•Taxation
•Fashion
•Global Trade
•Ethics
•Income Distribution
•Inflation & Interest Rates
System evolves over time
• System embedded in environment
• Forces from environment
– System affects environment
– N-S-P-E-C-T
perspectives
• Actions within the system
• Strategy: Actively affect
environment (vs. passively being
affected)
Predicting the Future
• Anticipate changes and developments in
the system and its environment
– Goal: Prepare farm (sub-system) for future
success
• CHALLENGE: “Try to avoid getting the
future wrong vs. the impossible task of
getting it absolutely right.”
R. Bawden: Scenario Planning as an Experiential Exercise in
Social, Reflexive and Transformational Learning
Predicting the future??
“Prediction is very difficult, especially
about the future” – Niels Bohr
1. “Heavier-than-air machines are impossible.” –
Lord Kelvin, 1895, British mathematician, physicist, and
President of the Royal Society
2. “I think that there is a world market for about 5
computers.” – Thomas Watson, 1943, Chairman of
IBM
3. “We don’t like their sound. Groups with
guitars are on their way out.” – Decca Recording
executive, 1962, on turning down the Beatles for a
recording contract
Cerf and Navasky, 1984. The Experts Speak. Pantheon Books.
Predicting the future using N-S-P-E-C-T
Factors of future scenarios
High
Impact
Critical cohort
of influences
Low
Low
Uncertainty
High
R. Bawden: Scenario Planning as an Experiential Exercise
in Social, Reflexive and Transformational Learning
Predicting the future using N-S-P-E-C-T
Examples for dairy farming
Domain
Impact Uncertainty
Emission regulations
Land prices (biofuels influence)
Animal welfare (confinement)
Availability of feeds
Nutrient management
Use of hormones
Antibiotics
Climate profit centers,
exchanges
Role of THE Extension Educator?
1. Recognizes changes  progressive
2. ‘Imagine into existence’ future scenarios
3. Anticipates (N-S-P-E-C-T): social
benefits, potential climate/environmental
profit centers, exchanges, etc., etc.?
~ Initiates proactive change
4. Anticipates regulations
~ Initiates pro-active change
~ Mediator between farmers & scientific
community
Chicago Climate Exchange
(CCX)
Richard Sandor
2003
New source of revenue?
CCX:
monitoring, reporting, verification
ENVIRONMENTAL CREDIT CORP.
SUPPLYING ENVIRONMENTAL CREDITS
TO GLOBAL FINANCIAL MARKETS
Cows Produce Credits for Coala
American Electric Power Co., Dairy and Swine Farms
(AEP) Columbus, OH
• Coal Burning:
produces 145 million tons
CO2 / year
• Dairy cow
• Produces 365 m3 CH4/year;
(potency: CH4 = 21x CO2 )
• 5 tons of CO2 equivalent;
or 5 CO2 credits/year
• Via Anaerobic Digestion
farms capture and destroy 5
CO2 credits/year per cow;
burn methane for power
-----a Wall
Street Journal, June 14, 2007
Cows Produce Credits for Coala
American Electric Power Co., Dairy and Swine Farms
(AEP) Columbus, OH
• Coal Burning:
produces 145 million tons
CO2 / year
• AEP to buy 600,000 CO2
credits/year from
~ 200 dairy and hog farms
• 0.4% of AEPs annual
global-warming emissions
• Real reductions (1 to
5%/year) mandated
• Dairy cow
• Produces 365 m3 CH4/year;
(potency: CH4 = 21x CO2 )
• 5 tons of CO2 equivalent;
or 5 CO2 credits/year
• Via Anaerobic Digestion
farms capture and destroy 5
CO2 credits/year per cow;
burn methane for power
-----a Wall
Street Journal, June 14, 2007
Michigan Conservation & Climate
Initiative
•
MCCI provides access to US market for C offset credits for producers & landowners
(CCX)
• Joint Project: MI Assoc. Conservation Districts, MDA, Delta Insitute
• Conservation tillage, permanent grass plantings, tree planting, anaerobic manure
digesters
• Supported by: MI Corn Marketing & Growers Assoc., MDEQ, MFB, MNLA, PF,
USDA Farmer Service Agency, USDA NRCS
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Percent of Total US Air Emissions
NRC (2003) & Van Aardenne et al (2001)
NH3-N
Source
N2O-N
NOx-N
CH4-C
VOCs
- - - - - - - - - - - - Percent of Total - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Ag & natural land
36
25
5
1
NA~?
Ag Animals
50
25
1
18
NA~?
Fossil/ biofuel burning
7
25
88
53
42
Industrial processes
0
25
1
0
49
Ag burning
4
0
3
2
5
Landfills
4
0
3
24
0
Total, Tg
2.8
0.4
7.6
30.9
24.3
1 Tg = 1 teragram = 1 million metric tonnes
ammonia, nitrous oxide, nitric oxide, methane, VOCs
a
Experimental Approach
Emissions measurements
• Newly established
MSU Animal Air
Quality Research
Facilities
• Strategies to
reduce CH4 and
NH3 pre- and postexcretion 
Climate Credits
Discussion!
----------------------------------
Two Questions ?
• What are
current and
future
environmental
opportunities
for animal
agriculture?
• What should be
and/or are
Extension’s
roles?
http://www.mdr.msu.edu
[email protected]
Thanks!