This blog post is based on the 17th Practice Abstract from the second batch of Farmtopia Practice Abstracts.
Dairy sheep and goat farmers are increasingly being asked to understand, document and reduce the climate impact of milk production. But many existing carbon-footprint tools have been developed primarily for cattle or rely on broad sector averages and data that smaller farms may not routinely collect. This can make it difficult to connect an emissions result with the practical decisions farmers make every day – from feeding and milk production to roughage management and farm profitability.
As part of Farmtopia SIP3, the Small Ruminant GHG Monitor was developed as an online tool specifically for dairy sheep and goat farms.
A GHG tool designed for small ruminants
The Small Ruminant GHG Monitor calculates greenhouse gas emissions per kilogram of fat- and protein-corrected milk (FPCM) using standard farm information.
The calculation takes into account factors such as:
- Number of animals
- Milk production
- Feed use
- Purchased and home-grown feed
- Housing
- Manure management
The model is based on established greenhouse gas accounting principles, adapted specifically to small-ruminant production.
Importantly, the tool does more than provide a carbon-footprint figure. It combines the emissions result with technical and economic indicators, helping farmers and advisors consider environmental performance alongside farm performance.
From emissions data to practical recommendations
The GHG Monitor includes a rule-based advice function that identifies potential areas for improvement.
Depending on the farm data, recommendations can focus on issues such as:
- Ration composition
- Feed efficiency
- Milk production
- Roughage management
The tool can also connect relevant background information through Capripedia and Ovipedia, providing farmers with additional knowledge related to sheep and goat production.
This approach helps put the emissions calculation into context: rather than simply showing farmers a number, the tool can help them explore where changes might be possible.
What did the pilot farms show?
The GHG Monitor was validated on four commercial dairy sheep and goat farms across two pilot phases.
Across the full pilot period, the farms recorded:
- 12.19% higher average milk production compared with the baseline
- 17.53% lower emissions per kg of FPCM
- 66.97% higher feed profit per animal
Farmers and agronomists discussed the recommendations and assessed them against the specific circumstances of each farm. The results were then used to consider possible changes in feeding, forage production and herd management.
The pilot demonstrated that lower emissions per kilogram of milk can be achieved alongside improvements in technical and economic performance.
However, these improvements cannot be attributed solely to the GHG Monitor. Feed prices, weather conditions, feed availability, animal performance and other management decisions also influenced the results.
The tool is therefore intended to support the identification, comparison and follow-up of possible measures rather than predict a guaranteed outcome for a farm.
A practical approach without additional sensors
One of the advantages of the Small Ruminant GHG Monitor is that it does not require sensors or IoT equipment.
Compared with general carbon-footprint tools, it has been designed specifically for dairy sheep and goat production, requires a relatively limited set of farm data and connects emissions results with economic indicators and practical recommendations.
This can make the tool more accessible to farms that may not have extensive digital infrastructure or continuous sensor data.
How should farmers use the tool?
The quality of the results depends on the quality of the information provided.
Farmers should use recent and complete farm records, particularly for milk production, ration composition, feed quantities and dry-matter intake, as these can have a strong influence on the calculation.
When only standard farm data are available, the results can still be useful for benchmarking, identifying major emission sources and comparing different scenarios. However, they should be understood as calculated estimates rather than direct measurements of emissions.
The first calculation can be used as a baseline. Farmers can then discuss the proposed measures with an advisor, select actions that are realistic for their farm and repeat the calculation after implementation.
Not every recommendation will be technically or economically appropriate for every farm. The value of the tool lies in supporting an informed process of assessment and follow-up.
Linking climate performance with farm performance
The experience from Farmtopia SIP3 demonstrates how a specialised digital tool can help small-ruminant farmers consider environmental performance alongside production and profitability.
By connecting greenhouse gas calculations with farm-level technical and economic indicators, the Small Ruminant GHG Monitor provides a basis for identifying possible improvements and monitoring their effects over time.
For dairy sheep and goat farmers, this means that climate performance can be considered as part of broader farm management – using information that is already available from everyday farm records.
Based on Farmtopia Practice Abstract 17
This blog post was created from Practice Abstract 17: “Small Ruminant GHG Monitor: An Emissions and Farm Performance Tool for Dairy Sheep and Goat Farming (SIP3)”, part of the second batch of Farmtopia Practice Abstracts.
Publisher: Govaerts & Co, Quadrifolium
Authors: Lander Govaerts, Wim Govaerts
Contacts: wim@wimgovaertsenco.be; lander@wimgovaertsenco.be