The second annual Manitoba Beef and Forage Conference was held on Oct. 31, 2024, in Portage la Prairie, Manitoba. Producers heard from industry experts about applying current research to their own operations. Of the various topics shared, here are three top takeaways.

Methane from agriculture, especially livestock, represents a significant portion of global methane emissions. Agriculture overall is responsible for 40%-50% of anthropogenic methane emissions, with ruminants accounting for roughly 56%-70% of methane from this figure.

For the dairy industry, there are lot of climate-smart opportunities. Navigating the decision-making process with lenders, as well as the financial implications at the farm level to ensure these climate-smart practices are cost-effective, are significant when deciding which opportunities make sense for dairy operations.

To dairy farmers, carbon credits, or offsets, are best known in association with anaerobic digestion. These projects require big farms with significant amounts of manure and plenty of capital, resulting in credits sold to buyers outside of the dairy or even the food and beverage industries.

In this episode of the Progressive Cattle Podcast, Editor Tyrell Marchant interviews Frank Mitloehner, from UC Davis, as they talk about sustainability and the industry’s relationship with the public when it comes to these issues. Additionally, Editor Carrie Veselka discusses all things mental health and resources available for farmers and ranchers with Jessica Cabrera of the American Farm Bureau Federation.

On March 6, 2024, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) adopted its final rules requiring the disclosure of certain climate-related information in filings with the SEC, including registration statements and annual reports.

When Oxford's Myles Allen talks, I always suggest it’s worth a listen – particularly when he shares information that can help improve sustainability in the cattle sector.

The list of notable weather events in 2023 is long and varied — from drought conditions in parts of the Midwest, to extreme flooding in portions of New England, to smoky skies from Canadian wildfires.

As of the writing of this column, farmers in the European Union are in the middle of an extensive protest that transcends country borders, languages and cultures.

An old cliché tells us that “the best time to plant a tree is 20 years ago. The second-best time is now.” There’s a lot of plain truth to it, and planting trees can create many benefits for dairy farms in the short and long term.