ROYAL CITY, Wash. — Field-testing new technologies that could help dairy producers curb their farms’ greenhouse emissions, scientists from Washington State University and Cornell University will share an in-person look at their experiments this spring.
The Climate-Smart Dairy Farming: Research & Demonstration Field Day, 9 a.m. Friday, May 30, at Royal Dairy in Royal City, Washington, will showcase projects using sensors, weather monitoring, biochar, and feed additives to understand and manage emissions.
“Accurate and continuous emission information can help farmers reduce their greenhouse footprint,” said Lav Khot, WSU associate professor and project leader of the Climate-Smart Dairy Farming test bed. “As scientists, we want to provide low-cost, reliable technology to support data-driven decisions that improve sustainability.”
Funded by the Washington State Conservation Commission through the state’s 2021 Climate Commitment Act, Khot and colleague Francisco Leal-Yepes, assistant professor of precision livestock health at Cornell, are conducting a one-year research and demonstration project at Royal Dairy.
Khot’s team is gathering baseline and treatment-specific data using a local network of emission sensors to monitor methane, ammonia, and carbon dioxide, as well as real-time weather conditions at various locations around the farm.
“Dairy cow physiology, and thus their greenhouse gas emissions, are linked to seasonal, monthly, and daily weather conditions,” Khot said. “Tying weather and diet to emissions will help our team find interventions that reduce emissions and support climate-smart dairy farming.”
Cornell scientists are using the WSU-collected data to create strategies that reduce or mitigate emissions. One idea being tested treats manure with biochar; another uses cattle feed additives to reduce methane gas emissions from the cows themselves.
The event also showcases research led by Birgitte Ahring, professor at WSU’s Bioproducts, Science, and Engineering Laboratory, on managing manure to curb emissions and improve animal bedding.
The day includes a tour of the experiments and Royal Dairy’s regenerative farming projects, as well as farmer perspectives and an overview of the Washington State Conservation Commission’s Sustainable Farms and Fields Program.
A lunch follows the tour. Admission is free. View a schedule and register to attend at https://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/6653378. To learn more, contact Khot at lav.khot@wsu.edu.
• Contact: Lav Khot, Associate Professor, Department of Biological Systems Engineering, 509-335-5638, lav.khot@wsu.edu