The tiny country of the Netherlands is one of the biggest exporters of cheese in the world. Today, dairy employs 45,000 people, and the famous Gouda cheese earns the country $1.2 billion. Milk and cheese farmers are so important, they’re even credited with helping shape the country’s landscape. But now Dutch dairy is at the center of a debate over nitrogen emissions. While the gas is common in the air we breathe, too much of it can kill native plants and animals. And because of what they eat, the Netherlands’ 1.6 million dairy cows create a lot of a nitrogen-based gas. Facing a court order to cut emissions, the government has proposed a plan to buy out and close dairy farms. But with a new majority in parliament, no one’s sure what will happen next. What does all this uncertainty mean for farmers? And what does it mean for nature that doesn’t have time to wait