Estimating the Environmental Impact of Livestock Operations Using the Canadian Whole-farm Model Holos Developed for Canadian Farmers

Abstract The Holos model is a Canadian whole-farm model that uses IPCC Tier II emission factors to calculate greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from Canadian farming systems. These Tier II emission factors are Canada-specific with respect to land-based nitrous oxide emission, but are universal with respect to the livestock calculation. Here, however, Tier II is limited to ruminant animals, as so far only Tier I models are available for monogastrics. The model is designed to permit farmers to enter readily available farm management information themselves in order to calculate GHG sources and management driven mitigation practices. The presentation will provide an overview of the model and its design (interface and algorithms), and will showcase some of the scientific studies (cradle-to-farmgate) that were accomplished using the Holos model for assessing the carbon footprint of Canadian beef and dairy production systems.