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2024 Projects: Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Forage Production Systems

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

Soil management practices such as manure amendments, reduced tillage systems, and cover cropping can impact yield, forage quality, and greenhouse gas emissions. In 2015-2016 we conducted research evaluating the influence of corn fertility and tillage management on greenhouse gas emissions, soil health, and environmental impacts. The first studies were conducted in a field with a long-term history of manure, solids, and inorganic N fertilizer addition during the corn years in a 5-yr corn and 5-yr alfalfa rotation. 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.

Current work includes our Net-Zero Initiative Dairy Soil and Water Regeneration Project. This work is led by the Dairy Research Institute (DRI) and was initiated in 2021 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, as well as 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.

If you are interested in participating, 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

  • To evaluate the effects of soil health and manure management 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 Net Zero 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.

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