Connecticut Dairy Summit January 3, 2017

Farms and Farmland in CT USDA, National Agricultural Statistics Service Census of Agriculture - State Data

Farms and Farmland in CT USDA, National Agricultural Statistics Service Census of Agriculture - State Data

Farms and Farmland in CT USDA, National Agricultural Statistics Service Census of Agriculture - State Data

Farms and Farmland in CT USDA, National Agricultural Statistics Service Census of Agriculture - State Data

Farms and Farmland in CT USDA, National Agricultural Statistics Service Census of Agriculture - State Data

Dairy Farms and Sustainability Greenhouse Gas Emissions Dairy industry makes up only 2% of total GHG emissions in the US, far less than the 18% that was attributed to worldwide animal agriculture in a 2006 UN report Goal of reducing GHG emissions by another 25% by 2020

Dairy Farms and Sustainability Dairy Farmers Are Doing Their Part Farm energy audits and on-site renewable energy (methane digesters, solar, etc.) Soil and water conservation practices Precision technologies—GPS soil and yield mapping, and variable-rate input applications (VRT)—help farms gather information on changing field conditions to adjust production practices

Conclusions While the overall number of CT farms is on the increase, CT dairy farms are on the decline and continue to remain at risk Loss of a CT dairy farm has a significantly greater impact since the average size is considerably larger than other types of farms CT dairy farmers, through sustainable farming practices and lower costs of community services, provide environmental and community benefits