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2026 Projects: Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Forage Production Systems

How do soil health practices in forage systems impact GHG emissions, water quality, and yield?

Background: Forage Greenhouse Gas Emission Levels
Soil management practices such as manure amendments, reduced tillage systems, and cover cropping can impact yield, forage quality, and greenhouse gas emissions. In 2001, we initiated a field trial to evaluate the influence of corn fertility and tillage management on greenhouse gas emissions, soil health, and environmental impacts. Treatments included a comparison of liquid dairy manure and separated dairy solids versus inorganic N fertilizer addition during the corn years in a 5-yr corn, 5-yr alfalfa rotation, and 5-yr corn rotation. In the final two years of this study, we added greenhouse gas emission measurements to the study. This work, co-funded by federal formula funds, a USDA conservation innovation grant (4782-CU-USDA-2226), and a USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture grant (2013-68002-20525) showed that total N2O emissions increase linearly with N application rate when N is the only yield limiting factor.

Ongoing Work with the Dairy Soil and Water Regeneration project
We are currently partnered with the Dairy Soil and Water Regeneration (DSWR) project. Led by the Dairy Research Institute (DRI), this project was initiated in 2021 by the Soil Health Institute and Dairy Management Inc. with funding from the Foundation for Food and Agriculture (FFAR) and private donors like Nestle, Newtrient and Starbucks.

This initiative seeks to find ways to effectively reduce the greenhouse gas footprint of dairy forage production through soil health practices and manure management. In this project, we measure greenhouse gas emissions, soil hydraulic conductivity, soil parameters like moisture and temperature, forage quality, and yield. We use these measurements to quantify the effect of management practices like cover cropping, manure injection, and the use of novel manure-based products. This is a six-year study. Our team conducts this research across three study sites in New York: two in western NY and one in central NY. Research teams rooted in seven other institutions are also conducting studies for this project throughout the United States.

For more information about this project, contact Quirine Ketterings (qmk2@cornell.edu or 607-255-3061). You can also write to: Quirine Ketterings, Nutrient Management Spear Program, Department of Animal Science, Cornell University, 323 Morrison Hall, Ithaca NY 14853.

Goals

We are evaluating the effects of soil health and manure management practices in dairy forage production on greenhouse gas emissions, water quality, and forage yield and quality in pursuit of identifying viable pathways to the dairy industry's 2050 environmental stewardship goals.

Funding Sources

Earlier work was co-funded by federal formula funds, a USDA conservation innovation grant (4782-CU-USDA-2226), and a USDA-National Institute of Food and Agriculture grant (2013-68002-20525). Current work is funded by the Foundation for Food and Agriculture (FFAR) and private donors like Nestle, Newtrient and Starbucks and the dairy industry.

Additional Resources

Dairy National Leadership includes: Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research (FFAR), Dairy Management Incorporated, Newtrient, Innovation Center for US Dairy, International Dairy Food Association, U.S. Dairy Export Council, National Milk Production Foundation; Corporate and Funding Partners include: Nestle, Starbucks, Syngenta, Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research (FFAR); NGO Partners include: The Nature Conservancy, Soil Health Institute, Ecosystem Services Market Consortium; Research Partners include: The University of Vermont, University of Wisconsin-Madison, University of Wisconsin-Platteville, Texas A&M AgriLife Research, University of California-Davis, USDA Agricultural Research Service. All farm identities are kept confidential, read our confidentiality statement.

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