Tool Helps Farmers Manage GHG Emissions

Farmers are eligible to trade—and make a profit—in greenhouse-gas (GHG) credit markets such as the Chicago Climate Exchange, but to do so they need to understand how their own practices contribute to GHG emissions. In an article recently published in the Journal of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Education, researchers present a GHG emissions calculator designed for grain and biofuel farmers. The tool is designed to help farmers and others in the field of agriculture understand the concepts and magnitudes of GHG emissions associated with different types of crop management. Inputs include county, crops, yields, tillage practices, and nitrogen fertilizer rates. Outputs include soil carbon change, nitrous oxide emissions, fuel use, and fertilizer. By varying the farming practices used, farmers can better understand, and even quantify, how their practices affect GHG emissions. Experiments by the researchers showed that more complex crop rotations, lower fertilizer use, and less tilling resulted in the least GHG emissions.