ABSTRACT: Dairy farms are complex systems with the main sources of GHG emissions
coming from enteric methane, manure management, and feed production.
However, opportunities exist to mitigate emissions from each of these
sources and due to the nature of the dairy farm system, a single
management decision can mitigate multiple emission sources. Models are
tools that help us understand the downstream impacts of management
practices and quantify emissions and other environmental impacts. I will
review some existing dairy farm system models and introduce the
Ruminant Farm Systems model currently under development.
Bio of Kristan Foster Reed
Kristan grew up on St. Croix in the US
Virgin Islands before earning her B.S. in Animal Science from Cornell
University. She spent three years as a Peace Corps Volunteer in the
mountain nation of Lesotho before returning to school to complete a
Ph.D. in Animal Biology at the University of California at Davis. She
has a research and extension position in the Department of Animal
Science at Cornell focused on using modeling tools to support dairy farm
management. The Ruminant Farm System model is a major component of her
research program, through which, she aims to improve dairy production
efficiency and sustainability.
Some models she explores in this talk include;