US Dairy Forage Research Center, USDA-Agricultural Research Service, Madison, WI 53706.
Department of Soil, Water, and Climate, University of Minnesota, Saint Paul, 55108.
J Dairy Sci. 2017 Dec;100(12):9479-9494. doi: 10.3168/jds.2017-13080. Epub 2017 Oct 4.
A resilient US dairy industry will be underpinned by forage and crop production systems that are economically, environmentally, and socially sustainable. Land use for production of perennial and annual forages and grains for dairy cattle must evolve in response to multiple food security and environmental sustainability issues. These include increasing global populations; higher incomes and demand for dairy and other animal products; climate change with associated temperature and moisture changes; necessary reductions in carbon and water footprints; maintenance of soil quality and soil nutrient concerns; and competition for land. Likewise, maintaining producer profitability and utilizing practices accepted by consumers and society generally must also be considered. Predicted changes in climate and water availability will likely challenge current feed and dairy production systems and their national spatial distribution, particularly the western migration of dairy production in the late 20th century. To maintain and stabilize profitability while reducing carbon footprint, particularly reductions in methane emission and enhancements in soil carbon sequestration, dairy production will need to capitalize on genetic and management innovations that enhance forage and grain production and nutritive value. Improved regional and on-farm integration of feed production and manure utilization is needed to reduce environmental nitrogen and phosphorus losses and mitigate greenhouse gas emissions. Resilient and flexible feed production strategies are needed to address each of these challenges and opportunities to ensure profitable feeding of dairy cattle and a sustainable dairy industry.
一个有弹性的美国乳制品行业将由具有经济、环境和社会可持续性的饲料和作物生产系统来支撑。为奶牛生产多年生和一年生饲料和谷物的土地利用必须响应多种粮食安全和环境可持续性问题而发展。这些问题包括全球人口增长、更高的收入和对乳制品和其他动物产品的需求、与温度和湿度变化相关的气候变化、减少碳和水足迹的必要性、保持土壤质量和土壤养分问题以及土地竞争。同样，维持生产者的盈利能力和利用消费者和社会普遍接受的做法也必须加以考虑。预计气候和水资源的变化可能会挑战当前的饲料和乳制品生产系统及其国家空间分布，特别是 20 世纪后期乳制品生产的西部迁移。为了在减少碳足迹的同时保持和稳定盈利能力，特别是减少甲烷排放和增强土壤碳固存，乳制品生产需要利用增强饲料和谷物生产和营养价值的遗传和管理创新。需要改进饲料生产和粪便利用的区域和农场内整合，以减少环境氮和磷的损失，并减轻温室气体排放。需要有弹性和灵活的饲料生产策略来应对这些挑战和机遇，以确保奶牛的盈利饲养和可持续的乳制品行业。
