I don't know if dairy farming can be zero-carbon, but I am certain that using permaculture and bio-intensive techniques that growing vegetable, fruit, grain, legume, and seed/nut crops can be.

So no-one milked cows before the industrial revolution?

Let's hope he's successful and can teach others!

I'm not quite sure I buy it, mainly because he seems to leave out the feed for the cows. It's supplemented by the algae, but I didn't see an explanation of how to counter the emissions produced in producing and processing the rest of the feed. That's not to say this is a laudable system for reducing emissions, but I don't see it getting to 0.

Sorry - just noticed a typo. I meant to write "That's not to say this isn't a laudable system for reducing emissions, but I don't see it getting to 0." That'll teach me to avoid double negatives.

Sounds straight forward. Zero is a big word to use, but anything close is sustainable. Feeding algae to cows is a little off the natural food chain, but it sounds like it is to be used as a supplement to other feed (grazing?).

Here's a dairy farm that has been doing it right for a long time, and has a fantastic model to follow (plus the best dairy I've ever tasted): http://www.strausfamilycreamery.com/

It's definitely worth a tour if you're near the San Francisco Bay Area and you get excited about such things.

Feeding cattle and locking up carbon is simple if organic grass farming practices are used. Feed from outside the farm is not needed. Intensive grazing is done on the farm. As the cattle move from one area of the pasture to another, each grazed section recovers. Over time the grasses both feed the livestock AND sequester carbon in the soil.

It' s not a shocking and high tech thing to do. It's what all livestock farmers did prior to the 20th century.

The only outlyer is the use of diesel on the farm, which is minimal in a grass farming operation, as there is little planting and harvesting involved.

just have to make everything as automatic as possible ... otherwise too much work in one day .. there is still a dairy to run.

I have had simular idea in my head for a while (not a farmer though) and I think it would work and be able to be zero CO2. The crops he grows could be organic, used to feed the cows, the machines to harvest would be running on biodiesel and the fertalizer would be the cow manure liquids (after methane production), and could be absolutly zero carbon.

My idea would also use barn air as the source of air for the methane powered turbines .. it would burn off smell and residual methane from cows farting as well as provide or boost air circulation without having to power [any/as many] fans.

And the algae idea is very risky and not a tried an true process that he may not be able to just plug into a farm and be able to manage automaticly.. I think he should just go with soya beans, and get the oil and protein feed from that as thats a proven technology. And then switch to algae produced oil and protein when there is a more mature solution.

besides he could be net zero with the wind and solar power he mentions even if he does make some CO2. (he probably won't need it for his own electricity as I figure 3 cows equals enough methane to power and fuel a house)

also he missed mentioning another product he could have ... glycerin from the biodiesel could be used to make very good soap and he could use it on the farm / sell it at their store.

If he can somehow incorporate biochar as a soil amendment, then he will be able to greatly reduce his carbon footprint by sequestering carbon. This may require outside inputs of biomass, but that is still preferable to using outside inputs like chemical fertilizers.

Maybe the cows are free range?
I'm very interested in how he does with algae to biodiesel to meet all of his equipment fuel needs.

I don't think it is possible for farming operations to reach zero GHG emissions, including zero CO2 emissions. Even if the farm was able to produce all its energy from renewable energy and stop the GHG emissions resulting from its direct operations, outside operations are not controlled for. Does the transportation the farm uses to get resources in and out produce CO2? Do the resources they buy have CO2 emissions 'embedded' in them? Does the communications system it uses produce emissions? And so on. Of course, the farm can not do much to eliminate the GHG emissions embedded within the outside resources they depend on for operations, and it shoud not be their responsibility to do so. I do what I can to reduce my personal GHG emissions, so all I can do is to hope that the telephone company I use, for instance, does the same (maybe I can bitch at them a little). Of course, the farm could decide to set aside part of their land to act as a carbon sink to offset those emissions that they can not control for (that might be one way of dealing with them), but it is always best to try to prevent the emissions to begin with. In any case, even if a farm doesn't get to 0, if it only gets to 90%, then that farm has definitely done its share to stabilize global warming. If everyone did the same, global warming would be brought under control. The most important thing is that everyone, every farm, AIMS for zero (and beyond) and makes bold moves for constant improvement on this issue. As long as they are honestly attempting to do what they can to get there, that is all society can ask. So Douglas Jones definitely has the right perspective. I wish him success in proving me wrong.

Though dairy cows produce more methane than any other domesticated animals, as long as he is using their manure in a biogas processor and also incorporating "terra preta" or soil-char application, I see no reason why the farm couldn't be net carbon zero (or even caron negative). Nice to finally see someone taking a holistic approach and integrating all of these systems/methods on a larger working farm. He might also want to consider duckweed growing pond systems in conjunction w/ algae production, as it has a high rate of growth and high protein concentration for use in animal feeds.

Though dairy cows produce more methane than any other domesticated animals, as long as he is using their manure in a biogas processor and also incorporating "terra preta" or soil-char application, I see no reason why the farm couldn't be net carbon zero (or even caron negative). Nice to finally see someone taking a holistic approach and integrating all of these systems/methods on a larger working farm. He might also want to consider duckweed growing pond systems in conjunction w/ algae production, as it has a high rate of growth and high protein concentration for use in animal feeds.

getting to zero is the goal - you gotta have a goal and he's set a pretty tough one. Good on him ;)

I absolutely think it is reasonable to aim for carbon neutral.

Assuming the land being used was originally dessert and the engineering of irrigation & rotation minimizes embodied energy and labor, anual carbon sequestration could pay off.