Leah was sponsored by Gardiner Foundation to attend the symposium, held from 25-28 November in Christchurch, New Zealand. Her presentation stemmed from a critical review she authored on strategies for reducing emissions in Australian dairy farming – a rapidly evolving area of research with significant implications for the industry’s sustainability and competitiveness.
Becoming a dairy farmer was a life-changing decision for Leah, who relocated from Darwin to Moyhu in North-eastern Victoria in 2020 with her partner Joel Hourigan and their two young daughters. She brought with her a strong background in agricultural extension, which continues to influence her approach to farming.
Leah and Joel co-manage a 320-cow dryland farm, in partnership with Joel’s parents who run a separate 400-cow dairy farm in nearby Milawa. While managing the demands of dairy farming, Leah has pursued academic excellence.
“Along with dairy farming, I completed a Masters last year through the University of New England. My project was on methods of abating greenhouse gas emissions from Australian dairy farms,” Leah explains.
“I felt the literature review I did as part of my dissertation would be a valuable resource to dairy researchers and the industry, especially as it is such a quickly evolving field. So, after I finished, I turned my literature review into a paper, in collaboration with Richard Eckard from The University of Melbourne.”
Leah’s dissertation focused on abatement strategies for Australian dairy farms, and was published in the CSIRO journal, Animal Production Science.
Exploring reduction potential
Leah’s critical review explores the potential for Australian dairy farms to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, particularly enteric methane – which accounts for a significant share of emissions.
The review highlights promising strategies, such as dietary adjustments to reduce methane by up to 50 per cent and methods to lower greenhouse gas emissions from fertilisers and effluent.
However, Leah does recognise some economic barriers to adoption.
“To achieve widespread implementation [of abatement options] we need more research investment, particularly to refine these strategies for grazing systems, and ensure they’re practical and economical on the ground,” Leah says.
Leah’s research also addresses the global demand for lower carbon footprints in agriculture, a trend that is reshaping market expectations. By identifying research gaps, her work provides a roadmap for future innovation in greenhouse gas mitigation, ensuring the Australian dairy industry remains competitive in a sustainability-driven global market.
Leah’s research concludes that improvements to Australian dairy’s competitive positions in a sustainability-focused supply chain must be cost-effective, and proven in grazing dairy systems, if they are to be adopted by farmers.
Industry commitment
Robyn McLean is one of Dairy Australia’s Carbon Farming Extension Advisors assisting farmers to better understand their carbon footprint and find ways to further reduce emissions on farm.
“The Australian dairy industry’s commitment to reducing its emissions intensity by 30 per cent by 2030 is something I speak with farmers about a lot,” says Robyn.
The latest Australian Dairy Sustainability Framework report found that 96 per cent of Australian dairy farmers have already implemented practices that are actively reducing their greenhouse gas emissions.
“For many farmers, the important first step is knowing where these emissions are being generated,” Robyn explains.
“Then being able to measure and track this information, often referred to as the carbon footprint, becomes incredibly valuable.”
Robyn adds the industry's focus on emissions reduction offers opportunities for the dairy sector in Australia to amplify and leverage the great things it is already doing.
To find out more about how Dairy Australia supports farmers to better manage climate and environment, visit dairyaustralia.com.au/climate-and-environment or contact your regional office.
This article was written with Gardiner Foundation.
