"The global demand for milk production is expected to double by 2050, mostly due to population growth and income rise in developing countries. Meanwhile, increases in milk production can accelerate negative impacts that contribute to land degradation, climate change, water shortages and pollution. Therefore, it is important to meet the increasing demand for milk production under sustainable practices. Meanwhile, milk production is also impacted by climate change and variability. The rise of carbon dioxide, temperature increases, and increasing precipitation variation are the main factors that will impact forage quality and growth. Therefore, among livestock systems, the grazing system is likely to be the most impacted by climate change and variability because of its dependency on forage quality and quantity. However, the level of impacts and measures to mitigate and adapt to these impacts are not very well known. To address these knowledge gaps, we developed a study based on the following research objectives: 1) understand the global impacts of climate change on livestock production, the contribution of livestock production to climate change, and specific adaptation and mitigation strategies for the sector; 2) study the adoption measure (pasture diversification) to identify the most climate resilient pasture composition for a representative grazing dairy farm in Michigan; and 3) identify the most sustainable milk production for a representative grazing dairy farm in Michigan by considering economic, water, energy, and carbon footprints. In order to address the first objective, a literature review was performed, which showed that livestock production will be limited by climate change and variability and competition for water, land, and food security. Meanwhile, the livestock sector is a major contributor to greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, driving further climate change. Consequently, the livestock sector will be a key player in the mitigation of GHG emissions and improving global food security. Therefore, in the transition to sustainable livestock production, there is a need for assessing the use of adaptation and mitigation measures tailored to the location and livestock production system. To address objectives two and three, a representative farm was developed based on grazing dairy farm practices surveys and incorporated into the Integrated Farm System Model (IFSM). For the pasture compositions, four cool-season grass species with the two legumes were evaluated, which resulted in 48 pasture compositions. For objective two, the effectiveness and resiliency of the pasture compositions to climate change impacts were evaluated based on economic and resource use criteria. Results showed that the increase in precipitation and temperature of the most intensive climate scenario would significantly improve farm net return per cow and whole farm profit. Perennial ryegrass with red clover was identified as the most resilient pasture composition to improve farm economics and resource use under climate change. Under objective three, a multi-criterion decision making method was used to calculate a new footprint (food footprint) to assess sustainability of a grazing dairy farm. Using IFSM, carbon, water, energy, and economic impacts of the representative farm in 10 locations in Michigan were calculated. Using food footprint, the most sustainable milk production level was identified in each location. The results of this analysis are promising since it encourages a high level of milk production (8,618 kg/cow/year) while promoting the most sustainable approach for grazing farm management."--Pages ii-iii.
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