Dairy Farmers of America Pioneers Carbon Credit Purchase in Livestock Market
Source: The DairyNews
Dairy Farmers of America (DFA) has made history by securing the first verified carbon credits in the innovative livestock carbon insetting marketplace.
Utilizing Athian's accepted protocol, Texas dairy farmer Jasper DeVos achieved a significant reduction in carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e) by employing an innovative feed management product from Elanco Animal Health.
DFA's commitment to science-based targets for reducing greenhouse gas emissions and its proactive approach to environmental sustainability set the cooperative at the forefront of the industry. This milestone marks a transformative moment for dairy farmers, offering financial benefits for sustainability initiatives and contributing to the broader goal of climate neutrality in agriculture.
Elanco and other experts have conducted extensive studies to find opportunities for reduction of both methane and feed resources. Rumensin (monensin Type A medicated article) is approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to increase milk production efficiency (production of marketable solids-corrected milk per unit of feed intake) in dairy cows. When implementing Rumensin to increase milk production efficiency, carbon emissions are reduced by approximately .5 metric tons per year per dairy cow depending on each individual farm's animals and management. By following the Rumensin protocol, dairy farmers will be eligible to verify they have both reduced enteric methane emissions and reduction in feed utilization in their operations and then sell those greenhouse gas reductions as credits on Athian's open carbon marketplace. The Rumensin protocol has been through a third-party validation process and was reviewed by the Athian Scientific Advisory Board, a group of leading environmental researchers who specialize in greenhouse gas emissions reductions. As new innovations are brought to market, the CO2e avoidance could double in the next year.
"Making sure environmental sustainability is grounded in farmer profitability has been a key priority for Elanco," said Katie Cook, Vice President of Farm Animal Health at Elanco, a seed funder of Athian. "Long-term, there is potential for more than $200 million of value for the U.S. dairy industry if the entire industry leveraged this intervention. And the environmental and reputational value could be the equivalent of taking more than 1.5 million cars off of the road annually. This progress creates a pathway for climate-neutral farming to happen this decade."
DFA's commitment to science-based targets for reducing greenhouse gas emissions and its proactive approach to environmental sustainability set the cooperative at the forefront of the industry. This milestone marks a transformative moment for dairy farmers, offering financial benefits for sustainability initiatives and contributing to the broader goal of climate neutrality in agriculture.
Elanco and other experts have conducted extensive studies to find opportunities for reduction of both methane and feed resources. Rumensin (monensin Type A medicated article) is approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to increase milk production efficiency (production of marketable solids-corrected milk per unit of feed intake) in dairy cows. When implementing Rumensin to increase milk production efficiency, carbon emissions are reduced by approximately .5 metric tons per year per dairy cow depending on each individual farm's animals and management. By following the Rumensin protocol, dairy farmers will be eligible to verify they have both reduced enteric methane emissions and reduction in feed utilization in their operations and then sell those greenhouse gas reductions as credits on Athian's open carbon marketplace. The Rumensin protocol has been through a third-party validation process and was reviewed by the Athian Scientific Advisory Board, a group of leading environmental researchers who specialize in greenhouse gas emissions reductions. As new innovations are brought to market, the CO2e avoidance could double in the next year.
"Making sure environmental sustainability is grounded in farmer profitability has been a key priority for Elanco," said Katie Cook, Vice President of Farm Animal Health at Elanco, a seed funder of Athian. "Long-term, there is potential for more than $200 million of value for the U.S. dairy industry if the entire industry leveraged this intervention. And the environmental and reputational value could be the equivalent of taking more than 1.5 million cars off of the road annually. This progress creates a pathway for climate-neutral farming to happen this decade."
