Dairy farmers in the Northeast facing a warming climate that exacerbates nutrient pollution but lengthens the growing season can reduce the environmental impact of their operations and maximize revenues by double cropping and injecting manure into the soil, rather than broadcasting it.
That's the conclusion of a team of researchers led by Penn State University agroecologists, whose new study evaluated whole-farm production and the environmental and economic impacts of adopting these practices on a representative dairy farm in central Pennsylvania under recent historical and projected mid-century climate.
The research is important because dairy farms, especially in the Northeast, are increasingly subject to more stringent regulations to reduce nutrient losses. Funded in part by USDA-NIFA. For more information, read this Penn State News article.
