Net-zero or bust: Dairy groups support it but not sure how to get there

Aug 10, 2022

ONTARIO — Yes, milk will be produced with “net-zero” carbon emissions by 2050, a goal publicized earlier this year and recently reaffirmed by the Dairy Farmers of Ontario (DFO) and Dairy Farmers of Canada (DFC) to Farmers Forum.

Both organizations expressed confidence that dairy farmers will hit the target 28 years from now. But their plan to get there is as clear as chocolate milk in terms of how dairy farmers will actually achieve the task, what it will cost them, and how or if the goal will be enforced.

It does appear that the Dairy Farmers of Canada hopes that its ‘net zero’ goal will include on-farm carbon sequestration to counterbalance continuing farm emissions — rather than strive to bring emissions from fossil fuels and fertilizers down to zero. DFC says it is working with consulting firm Viresco Solutions and is developing an implementation guide for producers.

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Video: Root Exudates, Soil Biology, and How Plants Recruit Microbes | Field Talk Friday

Field Talk Friday | Dr. John Murphy | Root Exudates, Soil Biology, and How Plants Recruit Microbes

Most of us spend our time managing what we can see above ground—plant height, leaf color, stand counts, and yield potential. But the deeper you dig into agronomy, the more you realize that some of the most important processes driving crop performance are happening just millimeters below the surface.

In this episode of Field Talk Friday, Dr. John Murphy continues the soil biology series by diving into one of the most fascinating topics in modern agronomy: root exudates and the role they play in shaping the microbial world around plant roots.

Roots are not passive structures simply pulling nutrients out of the soil. They are active participants in the underground ecosystem. Plants constantly release compounds into the soil—sugars, amino acids, organic acids, and other molecules—that act as both energy sources and signals for soil microbes.