Low GHG emission strategies for Quebec dairy farms

Description

The aim of this project was to identify manure management strategies that boost productivity on Québec dairy farms and reduce their emissions of greenhouse gases (GHG) such as carbon dioxide (CO₂), methane (CH₄), and nitrous oxide (N₂O). The project took a high-level, integrated approach, examining both plant and animal components of dairy farms.

Objective(s)

• Identify manure management strategies that improve dairy farm productivity and lower GHG emissions
• Gather technical, agronomic, and economic data on two typical dairy farms in the Montérégie and Bas-Saint-Laurent regions
• Calculate and optimize earnings, nitrogen and phosphorus budgets, and GHG emissions for the test farms and their various production systems (stall or loose housing, solid or liquid manure management)
• Evaluate the effects of using GHG mitigation measures
• Evaluate different types of bedding and compare the results