1. Connecticut Dairy Summit
January 3, 2017

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

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

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

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

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

7. 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

8. 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

9. 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