A green future, incentivised by government, is being mapped out in Norway with electric vehicles now accounting for 60% of new car sales, leaving fossil-fuel vehicles lagging. And the dairy industry isn’t being left out. The Norwegian Government has put 15 million NOK  (£1.275 million) – an amount matched by the country’s cattle breeding company Geno – into a cattle breeding project, which is monitoring methane emissions not only on dairy units, but also in its Norwegian Red young bull testing  station.

With a wide variety of manure management and nutrient recovery technologies available to dairy producers today, it can be difficult to know which one would be the best investment.

Balancing manure and fertilizer applications, crop production and environmental conservation is an ongoing challenge. Having the knowledge and understanding of several foundational principles of nutrient management can aid in making better farming decisions.

“What is my manure worth?” This is a common question I get once a producer understands what I do and my role with Nutrient Advisors. As any good consultant would answer, I say, “It depends.”

Dairy operations looking to add a manure processing or treatment option to the farm need to first understand what is driving this change.

On-farm nitrogen management is important to ensure you are meeting production goals, maximizing return on investment and protecting air and water resources. Nitrogen is essential to the growth of all plants and animals and is typically the most limiting nutrient in agricultural production.