About the East Tennessee AgResearch Education Center Little River Unit
About 30 minutes south from the UT Agriculture Campus is the East Tennessee AgResearch Education Center Little River Unit. This 529-acre tract is utilized to provide land, equipment, livestock, and support for the Herbert College of Agriculture and the College of Veterinary Medicine by fostering research and instruction.
Emphasis on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
The Little River Unit primarily emphasizes Holstein cow milking and production, as well as evaluates the interaction between animal agriculture and the environment. This is a state-of-the-art unit featuring multiple new facilities and technology. Through these innovations, the unit has been able to advance their sustainability efforts tremendously, strengthening the ultimate goal of agricultural environmental harmony.
Robotic Milking Systems
The unit’s newest sustainability effort involves the use of robotic milking systems, known as Lely Astronaut 5 units. These robotic units allow a much more natural approach to milking cattle by allowing them to milk on their own timing, as many times as they like, all without ever leaving their daily environment. Along with continual access to food and water, this type of milking system lowers animal stress and does not center the animal’s typical day around a human-made schedule. Lower stress to our animals can translate to increased health, better nutrition, increased milk quality, and greater longevity of the animals we care for.
Other Sustainability Systems
In addition to robotic milking systems, the Little River Unit has several other sustainability systems in place, including:
- Sand reclamation system: Uses gravity to recapture sand used for animal bedding, minimizing the impact of sand dredging and hauling costs.
- Waste management system: Ensures waste is recycled through a complete cycle, with solids used as fertilizer or mulch, and remaining slurry pumped onto crop fields and pastures.
- Created wetlands: Act as a filtration system for capturing runoff and subsurface drainage systems, supporting wildlife and providing educational opportunities.
- Grazing pastures: Support animals while cutting down on feed costs, offering habitat to native species found throughout east TN.
Focus on Animal Welfare and Environmental Impact
The Little River Unit aims to raise animals in an environment that reduces risk from predators, disease, and mortality, while also focusing on feed efficiency to reduce the environmental impact of row crop agriculture. The unit also demonstrates how to sustainably raise cattle herds next to a pristine watershed like the Little River through environmental monitoring and correct installation of mitigation measures.
Impact Beyond the Unit
Beyond its own spaces, the Little River Unit houses sustainability efforts that impact the greater region of East Tennessee. These efforts include supporting the Tennessee Tree Improvement Program to increase the quality and durability of East Tennessee timber strands in forested areas, including the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Additionally, the unit is transitioning to beef-on-dairy, leveraging reproduction at their dairy to produce beef/dairy crosses that have higher utilization for meat production without increasing the need for raising more beef animals at beef-cattle facilities.
Research and Information Sharing
The Little River Unit aims to help other dairy production facilities by adopting technology and providing research-based information to help producers decide whether that technology may be a good fit for their own operations. The unit captures data and studies it more in-depth to improve their operation and share it with others to grow the entire industry across the state and region. Current research includes feed studies, behavioral studies and training, and vaccinations.
Evolution of Sustainability Efforts
The Little River Unit’s sustainability efforts have evolved throughout the years through the introduction of agricultural technology and research methods that have changed the landscape of agriculture production and management. Precision technology, advances in animal husbandry and genetics, along with increased attention given to animal diets have all contributed to better longevity of animals, greater production, and decreased environmental impact.
Inspiring a New Perspective
Sustainability is a growing trend in agriculture, with more facilities like the Little River System making investments in technology and systems that benefit the animals and the environment. These efforts serve as a critical model for UT agriculture students and can inspire a new perspective in all those who are involved with agriculture, either directly or indirectly.
SDGs, Targets, and Indicators in the Article
1. SDGs Addressed in the Article
- SDG 2: Zero Hunger
- SDG 12: Responsible Consumption and Production
- SDG 13: Climate Action
- SDG 15: Life on Land
2. Specific Targets Based on the Article’s Content
- SDG 2.4: By 2030, ensure sustainable food production systems and implement resilient agricultural practices that increase productivity and production, that help maintain ecosystems, that strengthen capacity for adaptation to climate change, extreme weather, drought, flooding, and other disasters, and that progressively improve land and soil quality.
- SDG 12.4: By 2020, achieve the environmentally sound management of chemicals and all wastes throughout their life cycle, in accordance with agreed international frameworks, and significantly reduce their release to air, water, and soil in order to minimize their adverse impacts on human health and the environment.
- SDG 13.3: Improve education, awareness-raising, and human and institutional capacity on climate change mitigation, adaptation, impact reduction, and early warning.
- SDG 15.5: Take urgent and significant action to reduce the degradation of natural habitats, halt the loss of biodiversity, and protect and prevent the extinction of threatened species.
3. Indicators Mentioned or Implied in the Article
- Indicator for SDG 2.4: Adoption of sustainable agricultural practices, such as robotic milking systems, sand reclamation systems, and waste management systems.
- Indicator for SDG 12.4: Implementation of waste management systems that recycle and reuse products, such as the sand reclamation system and the waste management system at the dairy.
- Indicator for SDG 13.3: Integration of climate change mitigation and adaptation measures in agricultural practices, such as the focus on feed efficiency to reduce environmental impact.
- Indicator for SDG 15.5: Creation and maintenance of natural habitats, such as wetlands and grazing pastures, to support wildlife and native species.
Table: SDGs, Targets, and Indicators
| SDGs | Targets | Indicators |
|---|---|---|
| SDG 2: Zero Hunger | 2.4: By 2030, ensure sustainable food production systems and implement resilient agricultural practices that increase productivity and production, that help maintain ecosystems, that strengthen capacity for adaptation to climate change, extreme weather, drought, flooding, and other disasters, and that progressively improve land and soil quality. | Adoption of sustainable agricultural practices, such as robotic milking systems, sand reclamation systems, and waste management systems. |
| SDG 12: Responsible Consumption and Production | 12.4: By 2020, achieve the environmentally sound management of chemicals and all wastes throughout their life cycle, in accordance with agreed international frameworks, and significantly reduce their release to air, water, and soil in order to minimize their adverse impacts on human health and the environment. | Implementation of waste management systems that recycle and reuse products, such as the sand reclamation system and the waste management system at the dairy. |
| SDG 13: Climate Action | 13.3: Improve education, awareness-raising, and human and institutional capacity on climate change mitigation, adaptation, impact reduction, and early warning. | Integration of climate change mitigation and adaptation measures in agricultural practices, such as the focus on feed efficiency to reduce environmental impact. |
| SDG 15: Life on Land | 15.5: Take urgent and significant action to reduce the degradation of natural habitats, halt the loss of biodiversity, and protect and prevent the extinction of threatened species. | Creation and maintenance of natural habitats, such as wetlands and grazing pastures, to support wildlife and native species. |
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Fuente: utdailybeacon.com
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