2024 September Board Book

Benchmarking and Describing California Dairy Sustainability Metrics PROJECT LEAD: Jennifer Heguy, UC ANR TIMELINE: 2023 – 2024 OBJECTIVES: 1. Establish benchmarking data for energy and water use on California dairy farms to develop future sustainability metrics. 2. Evaluate nutrient management mitigation options to enhance nitrogen utilization on-farm or convert manure nitrogen for more economical transport. BENEFITS: • Informs decision-making to assist California dairy producers in achieving sustainability goals. • Provides insights for funding needs to support future nitrogen management efforts in California. Scoping the Environmental Feasibility of DairyMAR RESEARCHER: Dr. Helen Dahlke, UC Davis TIMELINE: 2024 – 2025 OBJECTIVE: 1. To assess the feasibility of DairyMAR (managed aquifer recharge) on dairy-controlled, manure managed cropland in the Central Valley while ensuring no negative impacts on groundwater quality. BENEFITS: • Develops foundational DairyMAR practice standards. • Allows for the possibility for dairy engagement in managed aquifer recharge and potential for increased water resources for the dairy industry. • Provides first U.S. project to investigate groundwater quality impacts of DairyMAR. • Provides economic benefits by reducing need to repurpose dairy crop acreage to meet water supply constraints. Effect of Nanobubbles on Dairy Manure Greenhouse Gases RESEARHER: Dr. Frank Mitloehner, UC Davis TIMELINE: 2024 – 2025 OBJECTIVE: 1. Conduct laboratory experiments to evaluate the effectiveness of nanobubbles in mitigating methane and other gas emissions from dairy manure and determine characteristics of treated manure. 2. Estimate the cost of the nanobubles treatment technology.

BENEFITS: • Evaluates effectiveness of nanobubbles as an option for dairy emissions mitigation and manure management improvement. • Provides a potentially scalable management option with replicability on California dairies. • Includes cost analysis to document economics of implementation and operation (expected to save 40%-60% of operation maintenance costs compared to conventional aeration).

Evaluation of Manure Treatment Technologies RESEARCHER: Dr. Deanne Meyer, UC Davis TIMELINE: 2024 OBJECTIVE:

1. Observe advanced manure treatment technologies in use, and sample to identify nutrient and volatile solids removal and determine if technologies can be utilized on California dairy operations. 2. Identify chemical and physical characteristics of dairy manure streams from advanced manure treatment technologies that have not yet been integrated into California dairies. 3. Obtain new information regarding characteristics of manure pre- and post technology representing effectiveness of technologies to reduce volatile solids as well as nitrogen fractions and salts. BENEFITS: • Informs the dairy industry about the effectiveness of emerging advanced manure treatment technologies. • Recognizes the challenge of nitrogen surplus exceeding crop and soil benefits while maintaining groundwater quality, especially in priority 1 nitrate management zones. • Anticipates modifications to farming practices due to sustainable groundwater management plans, such as fallowing land and exploring alternative crops, to adapt to reduced water availability. • Addresses the influx of vendors promoting environmental improvements or regulatory compliance to dairy operators, enabling producers to make informed decisions based on site-specific, fact-based information about technology value.

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