Calculating the carbon footprint of your crops
A further enhancement to AgNav, launched today, June 25, as part of the Crops and Technology Open Day at Teagasc Oak Park will allow tillage farmers to calculate the carbon footprint of their crops.
The new tillage capability within AgNav, launched by the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Martin Heydon T.D., will provide tillage farmers with support to identify mitigation strategies for their farm to deliver on climate action.
Pictured at the launch were (back L-R) Dr Siobhan Jordan, Teagasc; Michael Lynch, ICBF; Jim O Toole, CEO Bord Bia; Professor Frank O Mara, Teagasc Director; and John Spink, Teagasc. Front (L-R) Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Martin Heydon TD and Donal O ‘Brien, Teagasc.
“The tillage sector has a major role to play in achieving Ireland’s climate targets,” Minster Heydon said at Oak Park, adding: “I welcome this new development in AgNav which allows farmers to understand their emissions profile and to identify ways of making further sustainability improvements at farm level.”
AgNav was developed as a collaboration between Teagasc, the Irish Cattle Breeding Federation (ICBF) and Bord Bia, and is a farmer-centric platform designed to help farmers measure and manage the environmental impact of their operations.
The addition of tillage marks a significant advancement in sustainability tools for Irish tillage farmers. The first phase of the development of AgNav provided this facility for dairy and beef enterprises.
“Irish tillage farmers have long suspected their products had a low carbon footprint, but up until now could only calculate it using international default emissions factors,” Director of Teagasc, Professor Frank O’Mara said.
“Early results from the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) developed indicate their carbon footprints are very low, in comparison to international supplies.
“The addition of tillage to AgNav will help support Ireland’s commitment to sustainable agriculture and will offer a pathway for tillage farmers to demonstrate their environmental credentials and contribute to national climate goals,” Professor O’Mara commented.
Pictured at the official opening of the Crops and Technology Open Day organised by Teagasc in partnership with the Irish Farmers Journal, in Teagasc Oak Park were: (L-R) John Spink, Teagasc; Professor Frank O’Mara, Teagasc Director; Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Martin Heydon TD; Dr Jack Kennedy, Editor of the Irish Farmers Journal; and Liam Woulfe, Teagasc Authority.
An important development
The addition of tillage to AgNav will enable farmers to calculate the carbon footprint of their crops using a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) model specifically tailored for Ireland. Teagasc collaborated with Tirlán to develop a LCA model specifically for Irish tillage farming systems.
Teagasc’s tillage LCA model follows global standards, evaluating the carbon footprint of native grains, from cradle to farm-gate. Hence, the scope of the model extends from the acquisition of raw materials through to the harvesting of crops. Teagasc’s tillage LCA model utilises national information on agricultural emissions and carbon capture and retention (sequestration) to determine carbon footprint as CO2 emissions per tonne of grain produced.
Welcoming the development, Head of the Crops, Environment and Land use Programme in Teagasc, John Spink said: “This is an important development for growers and for the tillage sector. Farmers will be able to sign-up and get a demonstration of how to use the system. I would encourage all growers to register and use AgNav so that we can get a good view of the carbon footprint of Irish tillage crops.”
Dr Siobhán Jordan, Head of Teagasc Technology Transfer office, added: “Teagasc and its partners ICBF and Bord Bia are committed to the ongoing development of the AgNav tool, and plans are in place to include other farming enterprises in the years ahead.
“It facilitates informed decision making by farmers to identify the actions for their own individual farms that will have the greatest impact in terms of reducing Greenhouse gas emissions and capturing carbon.”
The Crops and Technology Open day in Oak Park is organised in conjunction with the Irish Farmers Journal. The Open Day covers the latest research on all the main tillage crops and horticultural field crops and a major machinery demonstration, with a particular focus on sprayers and the technology available for more accurate applications.