ADDRESSING THE METHANE CHALLENGE AT CALIFORNIA S DAIRY FARMS. J.P. Cativiela Dairy Cares coalition

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1 ADDRESSING THE METHANE CHALLENGE AT CALIFORNIA S DAIRY FARMS J.P. Cativiela Dairy Cares coalition

2 TOPICS FOR TODAY Dairy Cares approach Climate Where California dairies fit in Efforts to reduce farm-level methane emissions Research needs Research efforts

3 DAIRY CARES COALITION Formed 16 years ago specifically to address sustainability issues Cross-industry participation: Producer associations, co-ops, other milk processors, and allies Practical, collaborative and strategic Research Outreach and education Strong partnerships with stakeholders Telling our story

4 THE CALIFORNIA CLIMATE State is committed to reducing its carbon footprint (carbon dioxide and equivalent) Nation s most stringent GHG goals adopted in 2006, accelerated in percent reduction from 1990 levels by 2030 Largest agricultural sector in U.S., responsible for roughly 8 percent of statewide emissions Dairies ~4 percent Methane is largest part of this (animals and manure)

5 WORLD S MOST AMBITIOUS TARGETS FOR METHANE REDUCTION SB 1383 (Lara, 2016) targets short-lived climate pollutants : Methane, F-gases, black carbon Sets a goal to reduce methane by 40 percent by 2030 (from 2013 levels) Directs California Air Resources Board to develop a strategy Research/Monitoring Early actions/incentives Regulation by 2024

6 ADDRESSING METHANE 16 anaerobic digesters in operation, five more under construction, up to two dozen more in planning phase Poised for very fast growth Up to $36 million available this year Technology increasingly reliable; improving environmental performance Renewable electricity Renewable fuel (hub-and-spoke clusters) Long-term revenue assurance key to making these investment-intensive projects work

7 METHANE-REDUCTION ALTERNATIVES GETTING A BOOST METHANE IS NOT OUR ONLY GOAL Need to address N imbalances Digesters not economic for all dairies Advanced manure handling/treatment to reduce methane by avoiding its production Research needed to validate/quantify reductions, cross-media benefits May offer positive agronomic outcomes for farmers (improved yields, development of revenue streams) $9 to $16 million in 2017 incentive funding, funding through NRCS for some practices

8 CAN WE MEET THE METHANE CHALLENGE? With digesters alone, it will require > 200 digesters on the state s largest dairy farms ($1 to $2 billion) Digester of future must not only reduce methane, but other emissions (Low-NOx to no-nox or NOx-negative) Long-term revenue from low-carbon fuel is likely key to success Reduction potential/widespread adoption of digester alternatives remains unquantified (research need) Feed additives (research need/economics milk quality, animal health, consumer) Yes, with adequate economic, research support, time and sustained effort

9 NEEDS: REFINING OUR UNDERSTANDING What are the opportunities? Where on the dairy are the major sources of methane (lagoons, separation basins) How can we capture and convert methane to energy with zero or negative emissions? How can we eliminate production of methane in the first place? How can we do this cost-effectively? How can we create products and revenue streams (such as fertilizer/compost products)? How do we minimize potential impacts to water quality and releases of other emissions (NH 3, VOCs, H 2 S, odors, PM 10 and PM 2.5 ) How do we make it easy for a family-owned farm?

10 NEEDS: MEASURING OUR PROGRESS Captured methane easy to measure; avoided methane less so How can we benchmark emissions for individual dairies and the industry? How can we monitor progress and adjust (bottom-up) inventories as we proceed? How can we use top-down inventories to verify progress? How do we quantify/verify methane reductions from individual noncapture projects (in a non-burdensome and economically feasible way that supports banking of carbon credits)? What can we do to compensate for weaknesses in the current EPA/CARB model for estimating dairy emissions, especially from manure management?

11 ONGOING RESEARCH Measuring differences in methane production potential of manure liquids after solids separation (Ongoing, R. Zhang et al., UC Davis) Measuring methane emissions at two California dairies (Prepublication, C. Arndt, Environmental Defense Fund, A. Leytem, USDA-ARS, et al.) Ongoing work to refine assumptions characterizing volatile solids flow/storage on California dairies (Ongoing, D. Meyer, UC Davis, funded by ARB) Ongoing work to refine assumptions about dry matter intake of California dairy cows (Ongoing, E. Kebreab, UC Davis, funded by ARB) RFP released May 3 for baseline measurements at multiple California dairies (

12 SUMMING UP Significant pressure to sharply cut methane, especially from manure management Strong likelihood that we will need next-generation digesters and non-digester projects to reach goal Solutions must be practical, cost-effective and implementable by small family farms Solutions must solve more than one problem and can t create new ones We need easy, accurate and effective ways to measure progress at the state, regional and farm level

13 QUESTIONS? For more information about any of these topics, please contact: J.P. Cativiela, Dairy Cares