Quantification and control of the greenhouse gas emissions from a dairy cow system

Abstract

Abstract One of the major objectives of this research was to develop a tool that allows the control of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from a dairy cow system by considering variables such as feed composition, growth phase, enteric fermentation, and manure management. Of these, feed composition is the most influential and controllable variable. Therefore, any abatement measure applied for the reduction of GHG emissions from a dairy cow system must include the control of the feed composition. Thus, feedstuffs with lower GHG emission factors and gross energy values should be used. In addition, we developed a GHG emission quantification procedure for dairy cow systems based on a life cycle assessment (LCA) approach incorporating the IPCC's GHG emission calculation equations, and set up a relationship between the feed composition and corresponding GHG emissions. Finally, a comparative assessment of the alternative feed compared to the original feed was performed to quantify the reduction of GHG emissions from the dairy cow system in order to select the most desirable feed composition.