NE1544: Dairy Production systems: C,N, and P management for production, profitability and the environment.

(Multistate Research Project)

Status: Inactive/Terminating

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SAES-422 Reports

Annual/Termination Reports:

[06/06/2016] [02/15/2017] [02/22/2018] [09/16/2019]

Date of Annual Report: 06/06/2016

Report Information

Annual Meeting Dates: 10/19/2015 - 10/21/2015
Period the Report Covers: 10/01/2015 - 10/31/2015

Participants

Adel Shirmohammadi, Administrative Advisor, University of Maryland

Joseph Harrison, Washington State University

Santiago Utsumi, Michigan State University

Rhonda Miller, Utah State University

Richard Meinert, University of Connecticut

Michael Westendorf, Rutgers University

David Lee, Rutgers Cooperative Extension, Rutgers University

Jasen Berkowitz, Rutgers Cooperative Exte4nsion, Rutgers University

Brief Summary of Minutes

October 20th
Morning meetings
Afternoon meetings or tour

October 21st
Morning meetings
Afternoon meetings or tour

Tour opportunities:
- Several local dairy producers who do some interesting conservation tillage to maximize the effectiveness of crop residues along with cover crops.
- Visit to see seasonal cranberry harvest

Accomplishments

<h2>This is the first meeting of this project.  This project began October 1, 2015.  We have no accomplishments to report.</h2> <h2>For more detailed report on the project's accomplishments, please refer to the Termination Report for project NE1044 covering 10/01/2014 to 09/01/2015, in NIMSS. </h2>

Publications

Please refer to Termination Report for NE1044 in NIMSS.

Impact Statements

Date of Annual Report: 02/15/2017

Report Information

Annual Meeting Dates: 10/24/2016 - 10/26/2016
Period the Report Covers: 01/01/1970 - 09/30/2016

Participants

Rhonda Miller, Joe Harrison, Dave Combs, Jenny Long, Al Rotz, Mike Westendorf, and Adel Shiromohammadi

Brief Summary of Minutes

NE 1544 – Minutes Oct 24 -26, 2016 Meeting

Location – Logan, Utah

Host – Rhonda Miller

Secretary – Joe Harrison

Present on 10 24 16 – Rhonda, Joe Harrison, Dave Combs, and Jenny Long (Rhonda’s grad student)

Met at 3 PM on 10 24 16 to discuss game plane for meeting, made contacts with those not present to connect with them by skype or phone on 10 25 16. Toured the ASTME facility at in late afternoon.

Present on 10 25 16 - Rhonda, Joe Harrison, Dave Combs, Jenny Long, and via phone or skype Al Rotz, Mike Westendorf, and Adel Shirmohammadi

Met at 8 AM on 10 25 16 for station reports and administrative report.

8:30 AM - Received e-mail report from Vinicius Moreira.

8:45 pm - Rhonda gave report on Medusa head project and grass legume mixtures and heifers (focus on high carbohydrate and tannins as nutrition effectors)

9 AM - Administrative report – Adel Shirmohammadi

9:40 AM – Dave Combs – WI report – Assessing fiber digestion total tract ndf digestibility (ttndfdig) model, a way to predict fiber digestibility, in vitro evaluation to predict total tract digestibility

Have focused on standardized rumen fluid, rumen bugs are primed by taking the collected rumen fluid to and adding nutrients to get the bugs into the log growth phase and then using the stimulated bugs for in vitro work, this has reduced run-run variation

Evaluating low lignin alfalfa, and alkali treatment of corn stover and corn silage

Effect of dextrose and starch on enteric methane emission

10 AM – Joe’s report

10:30 AM – Al’s report – new version of IFSM released, no major changes, just cleaning up of coding.

Have added update on VOC from silage and bedded pack option

There is now a carbon cycling focus

Dairy Agroecosystems work group – (DAWG) – TX, PA, MN, WI, ID – quantify reactive N losses in dairy systems

Sustainable Dairy (CAP) – WI – NIFS funded multi-state grant – GHG emission and mitigation BMPs

Sustainable beef – major focus, most of carbon footprint is associated with the grazing part of the management system

Would Al consider hosting the meeting in 2017, yes.

Accomplishments

Publications

Impact Statements

Date of Annual Report: 02/22/2018

Report Information

Annual Meeting Dates: 11/08/2017 - 11/10/2017
Period the Report Covers: 11/01/2016 - 10/31/2017

Participants

Al Rotz - USDA ARS _ Penn State
Joe Harrison - Washington State University
Rhonda Miller - Utah State University
Mie Westendorf - Rutgers (via phone)
Steven Smith - NIFA (via phone)
Heather Karsten - Penn State University (guest}

Brief Summary of Minutes

Minutes Attachment:

NE1544 2017 Meeting Notes.pdf

Accomplishments

Wisconsin – Combs - Our lab has developed an in vitro method that will predict animal performance from in vitro measurements of kd and pdNDF in forages. The method is calibrated to NIRS and could be used to quickly screen forage lines for these traits. The UW Silage Breeding and Biofeedstock Breeding Program evaluates the nutritive value of inbred lines of corn silage by several measures: NDF, starch, protein, in vitro true digestibility (IVTD) and in vitro NDF digestibility (IVNDFD). Fiber quality is measured as IVNDFD but this assay is not a very precise predictor of animal performance. We've developed a forage evaluation system (TTNDFD: Total Tract NDF Digestibility) that predicts NDF digestion in high producing dairy cows and we hypothesize that this new method is better predictor of fiber digestibility and therefore feed efficiency, than IVTD or IVNDFD. The TTNDFD model accounts for two plant characteristics that affect digestion of NDF in ruminants: 1. The rate of digestion of potentially digestible NDF (kd), 2. Wisconsin – Wattiaux - Alfalfa for silage (AS), corn for silage (CS), corn grain (CG) and soybeans (SB, eventually solvent-extracted into soybean meal, SBM) were enriched in the field with fertilizers containing the stable isotope 15N. Each 15N-labeled diet component was fed individually to twelve mid-lactation cows (3 cows per 15N-enriched diet component) as part of a total mixed ration (TMR). Proportions of each component's 15N intake (15NI) recovered in milk, feces, fecal undigested dietary N, urine, urinary urea and retained by cows were determined during a 4- day 15N feeding period and 4 days thereafter. Diet component 15N manure was applied to field plots and 15N uptake by corn for silage was determined over two succeeding years. The wide range in total 15N recoveries (% 15NI), greatest from cows fed AS (67) followed by CS (61), SBM (61) and CG (54) indicate significant differences in diet component 15N retention by cows. Relative 15N recoveries (% of total 15N recovered) in milk were greater (and statistically similar) from cows fed CG and SBM (average of 29.2) than from cows fed AS and CS (also statistically similar, average of 18.4). Relative 15N recoveries in feces were greater (and statistically similar) from cows fed AS and CS (average of 42.2) than from cows fed CG and SBM (also statistically similar, average of 30.7), and 15N recoveries as fecal undigested dietary N were greatest from cows fed CG (2.5) followed by AS and CS (average of 2.2) and SBM (<1). Relative 15N recoveries in urine (average of 39.7) and urinary urea (average 34.0) were similar across all diet components. Over the 2-year field study period, greatest manure 15NUE (% of applied manure 15N recovered as corn silage 15N) was obtained in plots amended with manure 15N derived from SBM (38.2) and lowest from CS (30.5). The greater total N use efficiency (percent N inputs incorporated into milk N plus corn silage N) for SBM (68.3) and AS (51.5) than for CG (47.4) and CS (40.6) can be attributed mostly to differences in N use efficiencies of the biologically-fixed-N and fertilizer N to grow diet components. Penn State – Al Rotz – In collaboration with climate scientists at Texas Tech University, whole farm and global climate models were linked to provide an analysis of the benefits and costs of greenhouse gas mitigation and the strategic management changes required to adapt farms to future climate. Strategies are available for reducing farm emissions, but they must be cost effective for the producer to maintain sustainable production systems. To maintain sustainable systems in the future, adjustments in farm management are required to adapt to expected changes in climate, and these integrated models provide a means for predicting and assessing adaptation strategies. Researchers at University Park, PA, in collaboration with scientists at the University of California, Davis, developed, evaluated and documented a model for simulating and predicting VOC emissions from silage, which was incorporated into USDA’s Integrated Farm System Model. The USDA’s Integrated Farm System Model, a whole-farm model of beef cattle and dairy production systems, was expanded by adding a component that predicts important carbon and nitrogen gas emissions produced during composting and the remaining nutrients in the composted manure. Utah – Rhonda Miller - To document the effects of tannins and carbohydrates on nutrient cycling, determination of the nutrients in each phase (plant, soil, and soil water) were made. Plant samples were collected before and after each grazing event.  Soil samples were collected in the fall at the beginning of the study for a baseline reading.  Soil samples were collected in the spring, prior to grazing, and in the fall after the growing season using a Giddings® soil extraction instrument to a depth of 1.524 meters.  Soil samples were also be collected in the spring of the third year to monitor nutrient movement. Four soil cores were taken in each plot and divided into three subsamples; 0-30.48 cm, 30.48-60.96 cm, 60.96-152.40 cm. Composite soil subsamples were analyzed for available nitrogen (ammonia and nitrate) and for total N. Soil water (leachate) nitrogen was monitored by means of zero-tension lysimeters that were previously installed at this location. Leachate was collected every two weeks during the growing season, and as close as possible to every two weeks during the winter months from zero-tension lysimeters. Suction cup lysimeters  (60 cm deep) were installed in each plot, with samples being collected weekly by suction cup lysimeters.  All leachate samples were analyzed for nitrate-nitrite. A mass balance approach comparing total nitrogen outputs against total nitrogen inputs for each treatment will be utilized to estimate losses due to volatilization. Data will be analyzed using SAS PROC Mixed with Repeated Measures. Washington – Joe Harrison - Since the fall of 2016, our research program has published feeding and field studies related to the efficiency of nutrient use by animals and efficiency of nutrient use of manure by crops. 1) Feeding of potassium carbonate sesquihydarate to the lactating cow can have rather immediate effects on increased production of milk fat. The effect of potassium supplementation seems to be accomplished via change in the metabolism of fatty acids in the rumen by microbes. 2) A field study demonstrated the impact of varying levels of manure nutrient application and soil tillage on amounts of nitrate in soil that is at risk of leaching to shallow ground water.

Publications

Cook, D. E., M.B. Hall, P. Doane, M. Cecava and D.K. Combs. 2016. The effects on digestibility and ruminal measures of chemically treated corn stover as partial replacement for grain in dairy diets. J. Dairy Sci. 996343-6351. Powell, J. M., T. Barros, M. Danes, M. Aguerre, M. Wattiaux, and K. Reed. (2017). Nitrogen use efficiencies to grow, feed, and recycle manure from the major diet components fed to dairy cows in the USA. Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment 239: 274-282. Barros, T., M. J. Powell, M.A.C. Danes, M. J. Aguerre and M. A. Wattiaux. (2017). Relative partitioning of N from alfalfa silage, corn silage, corn grain and soybean meal into milk, urine, and feces, using stable 15N isotope. Animal Feed Science and Technology 229: 91-96. Barros, T., M. A. Quaassdorff, M. J. Aguerre, J. J. Olmos-Colmenero, S. J. Bertics, P. M. Crump and M. A. Wattiaux (2017). Effects of dietary crude protein concentration on late-lactation dairy cow performance and indicators of nitrogen utilization. Journal of Dairy Science 100(7): 5434-5448. Bonifacio, H.F., Rotz, C.A., Hafner, S., Montes, F., Cohen, M., Mitloehner, F. 2016. A process-based emission model for volatile organic compounds from silage sources on farms. Atmospheric Environment. 152:85-97. Bonifacio, H.F., C.A. Rotz and T.L. Richard. 2017. A process-based model for cattle manure compost windrows: Part 1 – model description. Trans. ASABE 60(3):877-892. Bonifacio, H.F., C.A. Rotz and T.L. Richard. 2017. A process-based model for cattle manure compost windrows: Part 2 – model performance and application. Trans. ASABE 60(3):893-913. Duncan, E.W., P.J.A. Kleinman, D.B. Beegle, and C.A. Rotz. 2017. Coupling dairy manure storage with injection to improve nitrogen management: Whole-farm simulation using the Integrated Farm System Model. Agric. Environ. Letters 2:160048. doi:10.2134/ael2016.12.0048 Rotz, C.A., R.H. Skinner, A.M.K. Stoner, and K. Hayhoe. 2016. Evaluating greenhouse gas mitigation and climate change adaptation in dairy production using farm simulation. Trans. ASABE 59(6):1771-1781. Rotz, C.A., R.H. Skinner, A.M.K. Stoner, and K. Hayhoe. 2016. Farm simulation can help dairy production systems adapt to climate change. In J. Hatfield and D. Fleisher. Advances in Agricultural Modeling, Vol. 7 pp 91-124. ASA-CSSA-SSA, Madison, WI. Rotz, C.A. and G. Thoma. 2017. Assessing the carbon footprint of dairy production systems. p. 19-31, In D.K. Beede (ed). Large Dairy Herd Management, 3rd ed., Am. Dairy Sci. Assoc., Champaign, IL. Veltman, K., C.D. Jones, R. Gaillard, S. Cela, L. Chase, B.D. Duval, R.C. Izaurralde, Q.M. Ketterings, C. Li, M. Matlock, A. Reddy, A. Rotz, W. Salas, P. Vadas, O. Jolliet. 2017. Comparison of process-based models to quantify nutrient flows and greenhouse gas emissions associated with milk production. Agric., Ecosys, Environ. 237:31-44. Long, J., and R. Miller. 2017.  Impact of tannins on nitrogen cycling and the potential to reduce ammonia and greenhouse gas emissions.  ASABE Presentation No.  1701035.  St. Joseph, MI:  American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers. Miller. R., J. Long, and M. Jensen. 2017.  Impacts of tannins on nitrogen cycling and the potential to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.  2017.  In 2017 Agronomy Abstracts.  Madison, WI:  American Society of Agronomy.  Carey, B., Pitz, C., Harrison, J. H. (2017). Field nitrogen budgets and post-harvest soil nitrate as indicators of N leaching to groundwater in a Pacific Northwest dairy grass field. Nutrient Cycling in Agroecosystems, 107(1), 107 - 123. Neerackal, G., Ndegwa, P. M., Joo, H. S., Harrison, J. H. MANURE-pH management for mitigating ammonia emissions from dairy barns and liquid manure storages. Applied Engineering in Agriculture, 33(2), 235-242.

Impact Statements

Washington – Joe Harrison - Nutrient management to target nitrogen application to approximate nitrogen uptake by crops, avoiding fall applications of manure nutrients, and maximizing the years between tillage events can all minimize the risk of nitrate movement to shallow ground water.

Date of Annual Report: 09/16/2019

Report Information

Annual Meeting Dates: 06/22/2019 - 06/23/2019
Period the Report Covers: 10/27/2017 - 06/21/2019

Participants

Joe Harrison, AL Rotz, Rhonda Miller, and Breno Fragomeni.

Participants Attachment:

NE1544 Minutes 2019.pdf

Brief Summary of Minutes

Joe Harrison served as chair and Rhonda Miller served as recording secretary

Administrative update provided by Steve Smith - IDEAS program may be a good fit for our committee.

Several foundational programs are preparing for the upcoming NIFA move by having the

same RFA for two years. RFA will list two deadlines. Need to be careful not to pull down the

application package until after Jan 1, 2020 – or it may be too early and the wrong program

codes will be on the files internally.

Day after announcement on the NIFA move, every employee received a directive relocation

letter. Out of 300 employees, all but 20 will be relocated. 20 employees may stay in

national region (director, and top administrative staff). Six NPLs will be allowed to stay, but

will not be running programs anymore.

Project updates provided in person by Harrison, Miller, Roz, and Fragomeni.

Fragomeni - Examining the Genotype X Environment Interaction in a rank comparison of bulls from California and New England. Pilot Study: Gene expression in heat stressed cows

Single cell RNA seq in milk samples

- Does it change when cows are heat stressed?

- Does it change with breed?

Rotz - USDA-NIFA funded project – SUSTAINABLE DAIRY – CAP grant funded out of Wisconsin.

15+ universities and other institutions, 35+ researchers.

5 major objectives

- Measurement

- Modeling

- Life cycle assessment

- Extension/outreach

- Education

Comprehensive assessment looks at New York, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin

Simulate with and without BMPs

- BMPs benefit farm under current environment, and as predicted with climate change

- Reactive N footprint – some increases in N loss with BMPs

- Main drivers are increased precipitation and intensity

- Harder to prevent P loss with climate change

- Without mitigation measures, the environmental impact of dairy systems will increase

- Adoption of farm-specific BMPs will help mitigate effect

Another project – Sustainability of US Beef was initiated by the National Cattlemen’s Beef

Association. Quantifying environmental impacts of beef cows by region – southwest, northwest,

north plains, south plains, midwest, northeast, southeast

GHG emissions from beef cattle relatively low contributor to long term global warming

- Beef account for 3.3% of US GHG emissions (CO2 equivalent)

- Beef account for 15% of annual atmospheric emissions for NH3, N2O and NOX in the US.

Includes dairy cull animals coming through beef cycle.

- Reactive N losses are a concern

- Water consumption is the major concern – particularly western regions

Harrison - A mobile struvite unit has been taken to 30 dairies to see how manure from different farms affects the efficiency of capture. It is somewhat expensive to move two 5,000 gallon tanks (~$800), have gone to trucking manure from dairies close by.

Pure Struvite NPK + Mg (6-29-0 + 10)

- Slow release rate for P

- Can be placed directly by seed with no burning

- Water solubility good, but not prone to leaching

- Struvite crystallization removes excess P from livestock wastewater

- Fluidized bed with cone shape

- Lower pH with sulfuric acid (oxalic acid doesn’t seem to work as well)

- Boost pH with ammonia or caustic soda -- ammonia water seems to work better

- Mg Boost with Magnesium chloride or MgO plus carbon dioxide

- With low Calcium manure such as swine, pH reduction is not necessary

- With raw manure capture 50% of P; anaerobically digested manure capture 80-90% of P

- If the NH3 concentration is too low, it reduces P capture

- Want Fe as low as possible, as each mg Fe/L binds 0.5 mg/L OrthoPhosphate

- With raw manure, use of oxalic acid not beneficial unless can separate out calcium-oxalate

- Costs $0.35-$0.75/day/cow. Struvite production not going to make you money, but is a

technology that can help one remove P from manure and use it in a beneficial manner

Miller - Nitrogen Cycling in Response to Grazing of Grass-Legume Mixtures versus Monocultures:

- Part of a larger study examining rates of gain, forage productivity, and reproductive rates

- Grass monocultures require use of nitrogen fertilizers which are expensive and tend to result

in higher nitrogen leaching

- Grass-legume mixtures can reduce or eliminate the need for nitrogen fertilizer

- Birdsfoot trefoil was used in the grass-legume mixtures. Birdsfoot trefoil contains tannins,

which have the potential to improve rates of gain and shift nitrogen from the urine to the

feces

- Grasses examined included: tall fescue, meadow brome, orchardgrass, and a high

carbohydrate perennial rye

- Rate of gain always higher on grass-legume paddocks

- Total N in feces and urea in urine higher under grass-legume mixtures

- Nitrate in leachate lower under grass-legume mixtures than grass monocultures

Next meeting location: Breno will host in Connecticut. Dates discussed. Breno will send out an

email requesting a date.

Accomplishments

Joe Harrison served as chair and Rhonda Miller served as recording secretary   Administrative update provided by Steve Smith - IDEAS program may be a good fit for our committee. <ul> <li>Several foundational programs are preparing for the upcoming NIFA move by having the</li> </ul> same RFA for two years. RFA will list two deadlines. Need to be careful not to pull down the application package until after Jan 1, 2020 – or it may be too early and the wrong program codes will be on the files internally. <ul> <li>Day after announcement on the NIFA move, every employee received a directive relocation</li> </ul> letter. Out of 300 employees, all but 20 will be relocated. 20 employees may stay in national region (director, and top administrative staff). Six NPLs will be allowed to stay, but will not be running programs anymore. Project updates provided in person by Harrison, Miller, Roz, and Fragomeni. Fragomeni - Examining the Genotype X Environment Interaction in a rank comparison of bulls from California and New England. Pilot Study: Gene expression in heat stressed cows Single cell RNA seq in milk samples - Does it change when cows are heat stressed? - Does it change with breed?   Rotz - USDA-NIFA funded project – SUSTAINABLE DAIRY – CAP grant funded out of Wisconsin. 15+ universities and other institutions, 35+ researchers. 5 major objectives - Measurement - Modeling - Life cycle assessment - Extension/outreach - Education Comprehensive assessment looks at New York, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin Simulate with and without BMPs - BMPs benefit farm under current environment, and as predicted with climate change - Reactive N footprint – some increases in N loss with BMPs - Main drivers are increased precipitation and intensity - Harder to prevent P loss with climate change - Without mitigation measures, the environmental impact of dairy systems will increase - Adoption of farm-specific BMPs will help mitigate effect Another project – Sustainability of US Beef was initiated by the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association. Quantifying environmental impacts of beef cows by region – southwest, northwest, north plains, south plains, midwest, northeast, southeast GHG emissions from beef cattle relatively low contributor to long term global warming - Beef account for 3.3% of US GHG emissions (CO2 equivalent) - Beef account for 15% of annual atmospheric emissions for NH3, N2O and NOX in the US. Includes dairy cull animals coming through beef cycle. - Reactive N losses are a concern - Water consumption is the major concern – particularly western regions Harrison - A mobile struvite unit has been taken to 30 dairies to see how manure from different farms affects the efficiency of capture. It is somewhat expensive to move two 5,000 gallon tanks (~$800), have gone to trucking manure from dairies close by. Pure Struvite NPK + Mg (6-29-0 + 10) - Slow release rate for P - Can be placed directly by seed with no burning - Water solubility good, but not prone to leaching - Struvite crystallization removes excess P from livestock wastewater - Fluidized bed with cone shape - Lower pH with sulfuric acid (oxalic acid doesn’t seem to work as well) - Boost pH with ammonia or caustic soda -- ammonia water seems to work better - Mg Boost with Magnesium chloride or MgO plus carbon dioxide - With low Calcium manure such as swine, pH reduction is not necessary - With raw manure capture 50% of P; anaerobically digested manure capture 80-90% of P - If the NH3 concentration is too low, it reduces P capture - Want Fe as low as possible, as each mg Fe/L binds 0.5 mg/L OrthoPhosphate - With raw manure, use of oxalic acid not beneficial unless can separate out calcium-oxalate - Costs $0.35-$0.75/day/cow. Struvite production not going to make you money, but is a technology that can help one remove P from manure and use it in a beneficial manner Miller - Nitrogen Cycling in Response to Grazing of Grass-Legume Mixtures versus Monocultures: - Part of a larger study examining rates of gain, forage productivity, and reproductive rates - Grass monocultures require use of nitrogen fertilizers which are expensive and tend to result in higher nitrogen leaching - Grass-legume mixtures can reduce or eliminate the need for nitrogen fertilizer - Birdsfoot trefoil was used in the grass-legume mixtures. Birdsfoot trefoil contains tannins, which have the potential to improve rates of gain and shift nitrogen from the urine to the feces - Grasses examined included: tall fescue, meadow brome, orchardgrass, and a high carbohydrate perennial rye - Rate of gain always higher on grass-legume paddocks - Total N in feces and urea in urine higher under grass-legume mixtures - Nitrate in leachate lower under grass-legume mixtures than grass monocultures   Next meeting location: Breno will host in Connecticut. Dates discussed. Breno will send out an email requesting a date.

Publications

Impact Statements

Pennsylvania dairy farms were determined to emit 4,641 ± 414 Gg CO2e of GHG with an intensity of 1.01 ± 0.09 kg CO2e/kg of fat and protein corrected milk (FPCM) produced.