November 6-7 marked the 125th year of the Washington Dairy Annual Meeting and Trade Show. More than 250 dairy farmers and industry leaders attended to take part in the quasquicentennial celebration. A great lineup of keynote speakers and breakout sessions covered emerging topics, including Comprehensive Nutrient Management Plan/Environmental Quality Incentives Program, agriculture and employment law, robotics, and farm safety.
One of the highlights included Dr. Frank Mitloehner, Professor and Air Quality Extension Specialist at U.C. Davis, and his presentation, ‘How to Satisfy the Growing Global Demand for Animal Protein without Depleting Natural Resources’. As an expert for agricultural air quality, animal-environmental interactions, and agricultural engineering, Dr. Mitloehner’s presentation covered the myths on livestock production and its effect on climate change.
Although livestock production is regularly blamed as a major contributor of greenhouse gases (GHG), Mitloehner’s research separates facts from fiction around the numerous other sectors that contribute emissions. He covered projected trends and the considerable progress of the industry to reduce its carbon footprint. A key point was the importance of sustainable intensification, highlighting that production intensity and emission intensity are inversely related.
A copy of Mitloehner’s information can be found here:
