2024 September Board Book

Piloting Dairy Manure Subsurface Drip Irrigation (MSDI) System for Almonds* RESEARCHER: John Cardoza, Sustainable Conservation TIMELINE: 2024 - 2026 OBJECTIVES:

Reducing Enteric Methane: Characterizing and Quantifying a Flaxseed Product RESEARCHER: Dr. Ermias Kebreab, UC Davis TIMELINE: 2023 - 2024 OBJECTIVES: 1. Investigate the potential of a flaxseed-based product to reduce enteric methane emissions and increase omega-3 fatty acids in milk. 2. Measure effects of milk production, milk quality, feed intake and methane emissions. BENEFITS: 1. Reduces methane emissions helping dairy producers in meeting the 40% reduction mandated by the state. 2. Encourages changes in milk omega-3 fatty acid composition in milk to benefit human health. Composting as an Economical and Sustainable Emergency Animal Mortality Option* RESEARCHER: Dr. Michael Payne, UC Davis TIMELINE: 2023-2027 OBJECTIVES: 1. Evaluate potential impacts on groundwater, surface water, and air quality from implementing proper carcass compost methodologies. 2. Develop mitigation procedures and best management practices for poultry and livestock composting in the absence of rendering services. STUDY FOCUS AREAS: Continuous monitoring of temperature, salinity, and moisture content of compost piles. Assessment of pathogen reduction during composting. Evaluation of nutrient infiltration into soil. Analysis of nutrient/ heavy metal content in feedstock and finished compost. Monitoring of air quality emissions during compost pile lifespan. BENEFITS: • Demonstrates the effectiveness of compost technology for managing routine and catastrophic animal mortalities during emergencies. • Provides efficient, logistically feasible, cost-effective, and environmentally sustainable solutions for animal mortality management. • Ensures systems are capable of handling routine mortalities and surges. * Funding for this project is provided by California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA).

1. Demonstrate how an existing dairy manure subsurface drip irrigation (MSDI) system can be modified to further improve groundwater quality by safely applying the system on almonds that will undergo pasteurization. 2. Focus on expanding the footprint of manure effluent nitrogen (N ) application to almond orchards in the San Joaquin Valley. 3. Provide insights into sustainable agricultural practices and strategies for nutrient management. 4. Evaluate food safety risks associated with management of MSDI in almond orchards. 5. Assess MSDI economics with a cost-benefit analysis. BENEFITS: • Provides dairies with an additional method to export surplus nutrients, avoiding overapplication of N. • Links dairy and almond supply chains to reduce environmental impacts through nutrient repurposing by demonstrating management of an almond orchard with MSDI. *Project is in the process of approval through a USDA CIG grant. CDRF is a minority funder of this project. Enhancing the Climate Sustainability of Dairy Forage Production by Reducing Water Use and N 2 O Emissions with Manure Subsurface Drip Irrigation (MSDI)* RESEARCHER: Dr. Sarah Castle, Sustainable Conservation TIMELINE: 2024 - 2027 OBJECTIVES: 1. Conduct research on two working dairies. 2. Quantify yield, water usage, and N inputs and outputs, including nitrogen dioxide (N 2 O) emissions. 3. Calculate total greenhouse gas (GHG) balance to assess differences in carbon footprint between systems. BENEFITS: • Validates irrigation related GHG reductions from MSDI • Generates high-quality data needed to publish at least one journal article and to pursue additional financial incentives for dairies. *CDRF is a minority funder of this project.

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