Core Concept
What three greenhouse gases are most commonly associated with agriculture?
CO2, CH4, N2O
What process in ruminant animals produces methane?
Enteric fermentation
How many years does it take for methane to break down?
12 years.
What evolving issue is caused by greenhouse gas emissions?
Global Warming/Climate Change
Name one way to mitigate methane emissions from livestock farming.
Improve feed / manure storage management / eating plant based meats
What greenhouse gas in agriculture is the result of intensive tilling and machine use?
What is carbon dioxide
Which livestock animals have the lowest GHG emissions?
Poultry, specifically chickens.
Are methane emissions from enteric fermentation considered biogenic or non-biogenic emissions?
Biogenic
This GHG has 28 times the warming effect of an equal amount of CO2.
Methane
DAILY DOUBLE: This kind of diet has the lowest environmental impacts.
The vegan diet.
DAILY DOUBLE: What greenhouse gas is the result of synthetic fertilizers?
What is Nitrous oxide
What are the two main causes of methane emissions from livestock systems?
Enteric fermentation and manure management
Does manure decompose aerobically or anaerobically to form methane?
Anaerobically
How does livestock indirectly contribute to CO2 emissions?
Through deforestation, tillage, and feed production.
What manure storage technique allows methane to be captured so it can be burned to generate electricity?
Covered storage.
What is the unit of measurement for all greenhouses in order to give relative context to particles that behave differently in the atmosphere?
CO2 equivalency
How does feed quality affect greenhouse gas emissions?
Higher-quality feed can reduce GHG per unit of product - more fibrous diets such as hay increase GHG production.
In addition to enteric fermentation and manure storage, what are some other smaller agricultural practices that cause methane emissions?
Rice cultivation and burning crop residues.
DAILY DOUBLE: The impact of GHG on the environment is often expressed in which two year time stamps?
20 years and 100 years.
What does separating solid and liquid manure do?
Reduces anaerobic decomposition.
What modeling system calculates an estimation of the average warming a unit of gas will cause compared to the warming caused by the same amount of CO2?
Global Warming Potential
What is the fastest growing source of GHG emissions in the United States?
The process of manure collecting in ponds.
When methane breaks down in the atmosphere what are the byproducts that form?
CO2 and H2O
What percentage of global GHG emissions from livestock farming are considered direct emissions?
Roughly 60%
A 2026 study found that replacing __ % of meat and milk with plant-based alternatives could reduce agricultural emissions by 31%.
50%