Multi-criteria assessment, decision support and management tools for sustainable circular mixed farming systems for dairy production

The combined production of milk and beef is the supporting beam of many European countries. Nevertheless, the industry is experiencing great pressure to become more climate-friendly at all levels. DairyMix aims to solve some of these challenges by developing decision support models and management tools for dairy farmers and stakeholders. We are well underway in collecting data from selected focus farms in all partner countries and incorporating these into LCA analyses. In addition, barn climate is monitored via the newly developed emission control tool OTICE. In Norway, farm visits and data collection have been done at 6 focus farms and the OTICE system has been tested in a dairy farm barn over several months during the indoor feeding period. The OTICE sensors have now been dismantled and sent back to the lab in Germany for calibration before being reassembled in barns around Europe for further data collection. The project also aims to use machine learning, modelling and multi-criteria analysis. Analyses will be made of carbon and nutrient utilization, circularity and environmental and economic consequences. All this forms the basis for multi-criteria assessment based on indicators of circularity and efficient use of resources with emphasis on trade-offs and synergies. The work is well underway. We have conducted many practical workshops and project management meetings. The vast majority have taken place online via zoom or teams. Protocols and detailed descriptions have been prepared for how data will be collected and stored. Websites have been created and continuous communication with the outside world and stakeholder groups are ensured via this and through social media such as LinkedIn. The project partners have participated in several conferences and technical meetings and presented the project and its preliminary results. In October 2023, the annual general meeting was held in Milan, Italy, with all participating countries represented. Going forward, the DairyMix project will work intensively with the data that has come in. These will form the basis for an interactive application, the MilKey/DairyMix multi-player platform, which aims to analyse farm data and to evaluate the effects of changes in operations at farm and regional levels with respect to environmental, economic and social sustainability indicators. The application will target farmers and other stakeholders in agriculture and will also be relevant to society and decision makers. DairyMix is led by the Leibniz Institute for Agricultural Engineering and Bioeconomy in Germany and involves partners in Ireland, Norway, Italy, Belgium, Argentina, Poland and France.

Dairy production systems (DPS) are an essential backbone of European agriculture. DairyMix applies a systems approach for sustainable dairy production systems that are targeted to key European regions and beyond. DairyMix is structured in five work packages. WP1 is dedicated to coordination and management. Case studies, data from the extensive DATAMAN database, Eurostat data and data from OTICE, the online barn climate and emission control tool will be collected and analysed in WP2. WP2 data are then fed into WP3 for detailed modelling analysis on carbon and nutrient utilization and circularity of mixed farming systems for dairy production. WP4 brings WP2 and WP3 together for a multi-criteria assessment of mixed farming systems for dairy production based on indicators for circularity and efficient resource use developed in WP2 and WP3. WP5 details a range of communication and dissemination activities and hosts the interactive web application - the MilKey/DairyMix platform - to analyse farm data and to evaluate effects of changes in farming practice at farm and regional level with regard to environmental, economic and societal sustainability indicators. This output will have farmers and other stakeholders in the primary sector as target group, and will also be relevant for society and policy makers.