Innovation Center for US Dairy – Jack Killcoyne – 2024
SummaryJack Killcoyne created a guidance resource for dairy cooperatives and processors to measure and report scope 3 land-based emissions.GoalsThe Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy convenes the dairy community to align on and advance progress on key priorities, such as GHG emissions. In 2022, the GHG Protocol published the Land Sector and Removals Guidance (LSRG) draft to guide companies with land-dependent supply chains in measuring their land-based emissions and removals. Killcoyne wrote a guidance document for dairy cooperatives and processors to measure their scope 3 land-based emissions in accordance with the LSRG.SolutionsKillcoyne compiled guidance from the LSRG, SBTi, and IPCC to inform land-based measurement methodology for dairy cooperatives and processors. He used scientific journals and LCA’s to explain scientific concepts in the land sector. To gauge industry understanding, he conducted interviews with dairy company representatives. Once drafted, he shared his report and incorporated their feedback. Simultaneously, he formed an internal working group with staff with reporting standards and on-farm emissions expertise. Killcoyne’s target audience requires guidance on measurements and scientific concepts. His report uses dairy-specific examples for each emissions source. He incorporated a high-level gap analysis of FARM ES, a modeling tool used to measure farm-level emissions by source and gas type.Potential ImpactThis guidance helps the dairy industry understand, measure, and report land-based emissions and removals from dairy farms. Approximately 75% of emissions in the U.S. dairy industry come from the farm. While the purpose of the document is explanation and measurement, it also helps dairy companies identify and prioritize GHG reduction strategies in their land-based supply chains. The resource is additionally the first of its kind to provide industry-specific guidance in alignment with the LSRG and can be used as a template for other industries.
