New study aims to help Pennsylvania dairy farmers develop 'climate smart' practices - WPMT FOX 43
New study aims to help Pennsylvania dairy farmers develop 'climate smart' practices | fox43.com
PENNSYLVANIA, USA — Pennsylvania dairy farmers may soon be joining the fight against climate change. A team of researchers at Penn State received a $25 million grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture for a study that will investigate how Pennsylvania dairy farmers can reduce their emissions through "climate-smart" practices.
"The main goal of the project is to implement practices, that reduce greenhouse gas emissions," explained Armen Kemanian, a plant science professor at Penn State and the lead researcher of the project.
These practices can range from various animal feeding strategies to manure storage methods. Their impact will be studied at 70 farms across Pennsylvania that will be selected with the help of the Center for Dairy Excellence, a non-profit created by the Pa. Department of Agriculture.
"Our dairy farmers are original stewards of the environment. They care deeply about the contributions they are making to the environment and to the sustainability of both their farms and of our climate," said Jayne Sebright, executive director at the Center for Dairy Excellence. "This grant gives them a chance to do even more of that."
The researchers say the partnership with these farms is instrumental in developing feasible practices.
"Working with producers is key. Nobody knows the farms better than them," said Kemanian. "When we implement this practice, we are going to learn what works best."
According to Penn State's researchers, the agriculture industry contributes 20% of the total greenhouse gas emissions globally. It's a number they say can be curbed in Pennsylvania and beyond with the help of this study.
"The reductions in emissions are significant. One not only for Pennsylvania dairies but because this is a pilot that can be applied elsewhere," said Kemanian.
Researchers hope the results will encourage even more farmers to use climate-smart practices.
"[We hope] producers are on board to try more technologies. [They see] there is benefits through climate commodities in different forms and that there is an upward trend. That will be the success."
The study is set to take place over the next five years and is set to be complete by 2028.
Related Knowledge Center: Climate economics
Climate change is now a driver of the world’s economy. The impact is profound:
- Catastrophic weather events — hurricanes, floods, droughts, high temperatures — are more frequent and more extreme. The cost can be measured in both the initial damage caused and the longer-term impact on the economy.
- Vulnerable communities are increasing climate-related investments, hardening infrastructure and taking other protective measures.
- Investment in carbon capture and storage technologies is increasingly rapidly.
- Governments are making investments and crafting regulations to reduce emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases.
On top of all of this is the cost of uncertainty. As the Fourth National Climate Assessment, released in 2018 by the U.S. Global Change Research Program, says, “The assumption that current and future climate conditions will resemble the recent past is no longer valid.”