EVALUATION OF DIRECT ENERGY INTENSITY AND RELATED ENVIRONMENTAL LOAD IN CONVENTIONAL AND ORGANIC DAIRY FARMS

This study aimed to assess the direct energy intensity in organic and conventional dairy farms, to identify the allocation of energy usages among on-farm operations and to evaluate the associated CO2emissions.The survey involved Data on farm characteristics, equipment and machinery, milk production and fossil energy consumptions was collectedin four conventional (CF) and four organic dairy farms (OF) located in California, USA. Energy efficiency was calculated as Energy Utilization Indexes (EUIs). However, observing diesel EUIs, results Results indicate higher diesel and electricity requirements per head and kg of milk in OF compared to CF, but lower consumption when referred to unit of cultivated area. As a consequence, Tin OF the use of fossil energies was estimated to emit, per kg of milk produced, three times more carbon dioxide than conventional farms.Type of farm management and milk yields highly influence the efficiency of direct energy usages in dairy production, particularly in organic systems.