Greenhouse Gasses
This greenhouse gas is released when carbon-rich manure is decomposed anaerobically by bacteria.
What is methane?
This term describes water from irrigation or rainfall that drains below the root zone, often representing a major loss of applied water beyond crop use.
What is deep percolation?
This deep-rooted perennial forage crop is commonly grown on dairy farms and supports soil health, pollinators, migrating birds, and biodiversity while providing high-quality feed.
What is alfalfa?
This process divides solids from liquids in manure, making it easier to manage nutrients, reduce storage volume, and create bedding or compost.
What is manure separation?
This term refers to methane released from a cow’s digestive process, primarily through belching.
What are enteric emissions?
This process—combining water evaporating from soil and plant surfaces with water released by plants—typically accounts for the majority of applied irrigation water use.
What is evapotranspiration?
This component of soil, made up of decomposed plant and animal material, improves water retention, nutrient availability, and microbial activity, playing a crucial role in soil fertility.
What is soil organic matter?
This nutrient management approach ensures fertilizers are applied at the right source, right rate, right time, and right place.
What are the 4Rs of Nutrient Management?
As of 2020, this area of the farm footprint is the largest contributor to dairy’s greenhouse gas footprint.
What is feed production?
This drought-tolerant forage crop requires less water than corn and is often used as an alternative silage option for dairy cattle.
What is sorghum?
Common examples include citrus pulp, brewers’ grains, and beet pulp.
What are byproducts?
This term describes the loss of dissolved nutrients, like nitrate, as they move downward through the soil and into groundwater.
What is nutrient leaching?
Unlike permanence, which measures how long emissions reductions last, this carbon market principle asks whether those reductions would have happened without the project.
What is additionality?
This advanced irrigation system delivers water directly to plant roots below the soil surface, improving efficiency and reducing evaporation.
What is subsurface drip irrigation?
These conservation practices, such as riparian buffers and filter strips, are installed at the boundaries of farm fields to reduce runoff and improve water quality.
What are edge-of-field practices?
Rich in nutrients like nitrogen and phosphorus, and a valuable source of organic matter, this dairy byproduct can improve soil fertility when managed properly.
What is dairy manure?