An Internet-Based Decision Support Tool to Help Dairy Producers Assess, Measure and Mitigate Environmental Impacts of On-Farm Practices.

The Dairy Research Institute’s Dairy Farm Smart project is an Internet-based, scientific modeling tool that allows individual farmers to assess, measure and mitigate on-farm environmental impacts based upon farm-specific climate, air quality, soil, land, and watershed information. Farm production activities such as feed, forage and manure management comprises 80% of dairy’s greenhouse gas emissions (Thoma et al., 2010). Thus, Dairy Farm Smart, a real-time, farm management tool that helps farmers measure and mitigate these factors, can also help reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The Dairy Farm Smart prototype is based on the integration of two existing modeling tools, DeNitrification-DeComposition (DNDC) and Water Use and Quality Assessment; and on one novel, spatially-explicit model for phosphorus fate and eutrophication impact. The DNDC model examines site specific influence of nitrogen and phosphorus management in agricultural soils. It is enhanced by integrating a phosphorus cycling algorithm. Early results from the water modeling frameworks indicate the ability for a deeper understanding of farm-specific water use and the associated impacts. The spatially-explicit model for phosphorus fate and eutrophication can support decisions related to minimizing eutrophication impacts. As work progresses, the spatially-explicit model will incorporate further levels of local information. By the time of the October conference, the Dairy Farm Smart prototype, including all three models, will have been tested on two dairy farms; data will have been collected and then input into the Dairy Farm Smart modeling program; and evaluations from these pilot dairy farms will have been generated. Qualitative feedback from the dairy producers will also have been compiled on the ease of gathering the necessary data, entering the data into the tool, and interpreting the results. The dairy farms and the data that will be necessary to complete the pilots have been identified. The conference presentation will show the pilot results and demonstrate the actual on-farm use of the modeling tool.

Sources: Greg Thoma¹, Jennie Popp¹, David Shonnard², Darin Nutter¹, Richard Ulrich¹, Marty Matlock¹, Dae Soo Kim¹, Zara Neiderman¹, Cashion East¹, Felix Adom², Nathan Kemper¹ “Greenhouse Gas Emissions for Fluid Milk in the U.S.” 2010.1 - University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR; 2 - Michigan Technological University, Houghton, MIgthoma@uark.edu; jhpopp@uark.edu; drshonna@mtu.edu; dnutter@uark.edu; zclayton@uark.edu; ceast@walton.uark.edu; nkemper@uark.edu