Greenhouse Gas from Dairy Manure Management at the Farmstead

Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions are becoming a greater concern in the United States (US), and generally throughout the world. The milk production food chain from farm to the consumer in the US was analyzed for its carbon footprint (Thoma et al. 2013). Manure contributes 23% of the overall dairy value chain emissions of GHG. Emissions from manure used as fertilizer was included in the field production portion of the food chain analysis. Since manure is typically removed from the barn most of the GHG production from manure at the farmstead occurs when it is stored long-term