The role of ruminants in reducing agriculture's carbon footprint in North America

Teague, W.R.; Apfelbaum, Steven I.; Lal, Rattan; Kreuter, Urs P.; Rowntree, Jason E.; Davies, Christian A.; Conser, R.E.; Rasmussen, Mary L.; Hatfeld, J.; Wang, T.; Wang, F.; Byck, Peter

doi:10.2489/jswc.71.2.156

Cited by 118 publications

(93 citation statements)

References 38 publications

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“…Hewins et al [40] found that while climate had the largest impact on SOC concentrations, grazing increased C concentration more in mesic grazing lands of Alberta, Canada. Teague et al [41] indicated that grass cover under proper management is highly effective in reducing soil erosion and in increasing SOC stocks. A meta-analysis of 115 published studies [42] showed that livestock grazing intensity can alter ecosystem C and nitrogen (N) cycles in grassland ecosystems.…”

Section: Soc Nutrient Cycle and Greenhouse Has Emissions As A Functimentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of Grazing Management on Spatio-Temporal Heterogeneity of Soil Carbon and Greenhouse Gas Emissions of Grasslands and Rangelands: Monitoring, Modelling and Upscaling

Wang¹

2019

Preprint

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The sustainability of grazing lands lies in the nexus of human consumption behavior, livestock productivity, and environmental sustainability. Due to fast growing global food demands, many grazing lands have suffered from overgrazing, leading to soil degradation, air and water pollution, and biodiversity losses. Multidisciplinary efforts are required to understand how grazing lands can be better monitored, assessed and managed to attain predictable outcomes of optimal benefit to society. This paper synthesizes our understanding based on previous work done on impacts of grazing on ecosystem goods and services, identifies current knowledge gaps, and formulates a plan forward. We review the impacts of two contrasting grazing systems, continuous and multi-paddock rotational grazing, on soil carbon (C), nutrient cycling and greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs). We then extend our review to explore challenges of incorporating spatial heterogeneity and temporal variability into monitoring and modelling C and nutrient cycling in grazing lands. We revisit two process-based models (i.e., DNDC and DayCent) and two watershed models (i.e., SWAT and VIC) widely used to simulate C, nutrient and water cycles of these lands. Finally we identify research directions for improving the knowledge base which is essential to conserve grazing lands and maintain their ecosystem goods and services.

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Section: Soc Nutrient Cycle and Greenhouse Has Emissions As A Functimentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of Grazing Management on Spatio-Temporal Heterogeneity of Soil Carbon and Greenhouse Gas Emissions of Grasslands and Rangelands: Monitoring, Modelling and Upscaling

Wang¹

2019

Preprint

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“…In integrated systems, ruminants increase SOC, biodiversity, and soil quality, which improves soil resilience during extreme wet and dry periods (Teague et al, 2016). In the areas of Washington and Oregon west of the Cascade mountains, growing cover crops for feed in rotation with annual crops such as corn silage (currently done on less than half of the acres in western Washington State), may significantly boost both local feed production and carbon sequestration (Olson et al, 2014;Poeplau and Don, 2015).…”

Section: Priorities For Mitigation and Adaptation In Livestock Systemsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Follett et al (2001) estimated that as much as 110 million metric tons of carbon could be sequestered per year on designated grazing land in the United States. Although, inland Northwest rangelands are generally arid, with low productivity, and susceptible to disturbance (and associated carbon loss) particularly as the climate changes (DiTomaso, 2000;Bradley et al, 2006;Neibergs et al, 2017), small changes to improve grazing management across millions of acres have the potential to increase or decrease total stored carbon in the region (Follett et al, 2001;Schuman et al, 2002;Booker et al, 2013;AgCC, 2016;Teague et al, 2016). In addition, applications of soil amendments (as discussed earlier in cropping systems) could increase carbon storage (Brown and Kurtz, 2010;Ryals and Silver, 2013), though questions remain about the economic feasibility of using soil amendments to increase SOC on Northwest rangelands.…”

Section: Mitigation Opportunitiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Northwest U.S. Agriculture in a Changing Climate: Collaboratively Defined Research and Extension Priorities

Yorgey

Hall

Allen

et al. 2017

Front. Environ. Sci.

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In order for agricultural systems to successfully mitigate and adapt to climate change there is a need to coordinate and prioritize next steps for research and extension. This includes focusing on "win-win" management practices that simultaneously provide short-term benefits to farmers and improve the sustainability and resiliency of agricultural systems with respect to climate change. In the Northwest U.S., a collaborative process has been used to engage individuals spanning the research-practice continuum. This collaborative approach was utilized at a 2016 workshop titled "Agriculture in a Changing Climate," that included a broad range of participants including university faculty and students, crop and livestock producers, and individuals representing state, tribal and federal government agencies, industry, nonprofit organizations, and conservation districts. The Northwest U.S. encompasses a range of agro-ecological systems and diverse geographic and climatic contexts. Regional research and science communication efforts for climate change and agriculture have a strong history of engaging diverse stakeholders. These features of the Northwest U.S. provide a foundation for the collaborative research and extension prioritization presented here. We focus on identifying research and extension actions that can be taken over the next 5 years in four areas identified as important areas by conference organizers and participants: (1) cropping systems, (2) livestock systems, (3) decision support systems to support consideration of climate change in agricultural management decisions; and (4) partnerships among researchers and stakeholders. We couple insights from the workshop and a review of current literature to articulate current scientific understanding, and priorities recommended by workshop participants that target existing knowledge Yorgey et al.Priorities for U.S. Northwest Agriculture in a Changing Climate gaps, challenges, and opportunities. Priorities defined at the Agriculture in a Changing Climate workshop highlight the need for ongoing investment in interdisciplinary research integrating social, economic, and biophysical sciences, strategic collaborations, and knowledge sharing to develop actionable science that can support informed decision-making in the agriculture sector as the climate changes.

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“…The widespread use of this species is due to its high production and forage quality, its positive effects on soil fertility and its adaptation to a wide range of climate and soil conditions (Dovrat, 1993;Campiglia, Caporali, Barberi and Mancinelli, 1999;Huyghe, 2003). Moreover, it has been demonstrated that the use of forage legumes in agricultural rotations allows important increases in soil carbon sequestration and reductions in the C footprint (Gattinger et al, 2012;Ma, Liang, Biswas, Morrison and McLaughlin, 2012;Teague et al, 2016). As far as we know, very few studies have simultaneously analyzed in time and space the environmental controls of lucerne growth in rainfed conditions (Bowman, Smith and Brockwell, 2004;Hakl, Fuksa, Konecná, Pacek and Tlustoš, 2014).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Environmental controls of lucerne (Medicago sativa L.) growth across a climatic and edaphic gradient

Druille¹,

Deregibus²,

Garbulsky³

2017

AgriS

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summaryLucerne is one of the most valuable forage species because of its high productivity and nutritional traits. However, the knowledge of spatio-temporal variability and environmental controls of its growth generated from the simultaneous study of several sites and throughout several years is extremely scarce. Five-year biomass data were analyzed from four rain fed sites located across a climatic and edaphic gradient in Argentina. The aims proposed were to characterize annual and seasonal lucerne growth, to analyze environmental controls of spatial and temporal growth, and to compare water use efficiency (WUE) among sites. Annual growth differed significantly among sites, ranging between 7,514 and 14,262 kg DM/ha. This range at the spatial scale was mainly explained by variations in annual rainfall and WUE among sites. Seasonal growth depended on incident radiation and actual evapotranspiration. Interannual variability of lucerne growth was explained by precipitation occurred during the growing season in the driest sites, on sandy soils with less water retention capacity. Knowing the sources of variability of lucerne growth, would allow developing more efficient livestock management due to less uncertainty on the forage production dynamics.Key words: soil properties, water use efficiency, forage production, climate.Druille, M., Deregibus V. y Garbulsky, M. F. , 2017. Controles ambientales del crecimiento de alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) a lo largo de un gradiente climático y edáfico. Agriscientia 34 (II): 13-23 resumen La alfalfa es una de las especies forrajeras más valoradas por su alta productividad y características nutritivas. Sin embargo, el conocimiento de la variabilidad espacio-temporal y los controles ambientales del crecimiento generado a partir del estudio simultáneo de varios sitios y años es extremadamente escaso. En este trabajo se analizaron cinco años de datos de biomasa de cuatro sitios de secano ubicados a lo largo de un gradiente climático y edáfico en Argentina. Los objetivos propuestos fueron: caracterizar el crecimiento anual y estacional de la alfalfa, analizar los controles ambientales del crecimiento a escala espacial y temporal y comparar la eficiencia en el uso del agua (EUA) entre sitios. El crecimiento anual difirió espacialmente, oscilando entre 7.514 y 14.262 kg MS/ha. Esta variabilidad fue principalmente explicada por variaciones en las precipitaciones anuales y la EUA. El crecimiento estacional dependió de la radiación incidente y la evapotranspiración real. La variabilidad interanual del crecimiento fue explicada por la precipitación ocurrida durante la estación de crecimiento en los sitios secos, con suelos arenosos de baja capacidad de retención hídrica. Conocer las fuentes de variación en el crecimiento de alfalfa permitirá el desarrollo de prácticas de manejo ganadero más eficientes debido a la menor incertidumbre en la dinámica de producción forrajera.Palabras clave: propiedades edáficas, eficiencia en el uso del agua, producción de forraje, clima.

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The role of ruminants in reducing agriculture's carbon footprint in North America

Cited by 118 publications

References 38 publications

Effects of Grazing Management on Spatio-Temporal Heterogeneity of Soil Carbon and Greenhouse Gas Emissions of Grasslands and Rangelands: Monitoring, Modelling and Upscaling

Effects of Grazing Management on Spatio-Temporal Heterogeneity of Soil Carbon and Greenhouse Gas Emissions of Grasslands and Rangelands: Monitoring, Modelling and Upscaling

Northwest U.S. Agriculture in a Changing Climate: Collaboratively Defined Research and Extension Priorities

Environmental controls of lucerne (Medicago sativa L.) growth across a climatic and edaphic gradient

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