The impact of trace mineral source on the carbon footprint of dairy feed production

It should be no secret that a major push is underway within the animal nutrition industry to develop products, programs and practices that will significantly reduce the CO₂eq emissions of livestock. While much progress has been achieved, there is still a long way to go to achieve the objectives that various governmental and consumer groups have established as obtainable targets. One key finding that has emerged from this journey is that it is highly unlikely that any one product, program or practice will, by itself achieve the targeted CO₂eq reduction objectives that have been set. Rather, the quest to achieve a significant reduction in livestock based CO₂eq emissions will need to be a group endeavor, with several products, programs and practices contributing to a successful outcome. Reports indicate that 27% of the total carbon footprint of a dairy farm are emissions from on-farm supply sources, including emissions from the production of feed supplied to the farm (see Figure 1). Therefore, beyond the need to lower the carbon footprint of the cow is the growing need of premixers and feed compounders to provide their customers with a total CO₂eq number for the feed they are selling to their customers.

To assist producers of dairy feed with calculating the CO₂eq emissions resulting from producing the ingredients they use within their feed, NGO and industry groups have agreed on a set of guidelines that must be used to calculate the CO₂eq number of ingredients used in dairy feed. At the heart of this evaluation is a tool referred to as a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA). The LCA is a comprehensive template that must be completed for each proposed ingredient. Following the completion of the LCA, an independent review must be performed to ensure that the development of the LCA was completed in accordance with all approved guidelines (ISO 14040 and 14044 statues). If the information is assessed to be correct, the LCA’s outcome will be verified, providing feed manufacturers with an independent verification on the CO₂eq number of the particular ingredient.

Having this number in hand allows nutritionists and manufacturers to effectively evaluate the individual CO₂eq impact of various ingredients being added to the blend, with the objective of lower the blend’s total. Having this number in hand allows nutritionists and manufacturers to effectively evaluate the individual CO₂eq impact of various ingredients being added to the blend, with the objective of lower the blend’s total CO₂eq, while maintaining its nutritional requirements. To assist with this growing need, an LCA which identifies the carbon footprint for each of Selko IntelliBond’s individual products was completed recently (See Figure 2). These values are specific to the Selko IntelliBond manufacturing process and will be of value to feed compounders and premixer that are working to reduce their products’ carbon footprints.

Figure 2, CO₂ equivalents per metric ton of Selko IntelliBond produced and per kg of metal for Selko IntelliBond C, Selko IntelliBond Z and Selko IntelliBond M.

The journey towards reaching the targets set by governmental and consumer groups will not be an easy journey. A holistic approach will be required, which should include the use of dairy feed that has been produced with a minimal carbon footprint. The LCA for the 3 Selko IntelliBond products will provide feed manufacturers with an independent verification on the CO₂eq number of their trace mineral source.