The 4th International Conference on Greenhouse Gases and Animal Agriculture will take place on Oct. 3-8 in Banff, Alberta, Canada. More than 350 delegates are expected to attend, representing 39 countries. While conference participants are drawn primarily from the scientific community, the information presented will be relevant to producers, industry and policy developers involved with animal agriculture. In addition to technical workshops and sessions, the conference will include discussions of specific livestock production strategies to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions, as well as present ideas related to industry benchmarks and mitigation targets.
The conference will feature a wide range of reports – from stories highlighting specific presentations to blog-style updates on key developments and observations from inside and around the conference. Links to these reports, including several presented ahead of the conference, will be available on the conference website, www.ggaa2010.org .
The conference kicks off Sunday, Oct. 3, at the Banff Park Lodge with a series of workshops related to measuring and modeling greenhouse gas emissions from livestock. The main program begins Oct. 4, with "big picture" perspectives on the role of livestock production in greenhouse gas issues, the implications of emissions from livestock manure, and the opportunity for biogas capture. A range of high profile topics on greenhouse gas issues will follow, including discussion of how to measure and mitigate strategies that may help industry and government set benchmarks and tackle emissions challenges.
As a wrap-up session on Friday, the Global Research Alliance (GRA) Livestock will hold an open session to allow conference delegates to get first-hand information on this innovative global initiative to bring countries together to find ways of growing more food without growing greenhouse gas emissions.
The conference is sponsored by Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, the New Zealand Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, the Livestock Emissions and Abatement Research Network, the New Zealand Agricultural Greenhouse Gas Research Centre, Climate Change Central, Alberta Livestock and Meat Agency, Dairy Farmers of Canada, Dairy Australia, Meat & Livestock Australia, the Canadian Cattlemen's Association and the Canadian Pork Council. More information on the conference is available at www.ggaa2010.org.