About

Management intensive grazing (MIG) is used on most certified organic dairy farms throughout the Northeast U.S. and is a tool that can potentially remove carbon (C) from the atmosphere and store it in the soil. However, increased soil C storage may cause higher soil nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions, offsetting any gains in climate mitigation achieved with MIG. The goal of this project is to provide organic dairy farmers and industry partners with science-based information and decision support systems on grazing practices that maximize soil C sequestration and minimize soil greenhouse gas (GHG) losses.

Project Objectives

The goal of the project is to provide certified organic dairy farmers and the organic dairy industry at large with science-based information and decision support systems on grazing practices that maximize soil carbon (C) sequestration and minimize soil greenhouse gas (GHG) losses.

We will accomplish our goal through a combination of 1) measurements of soil organic carbon (SOC) stabilization and GHG emissions at three organic dairy farms located in New England; 2) modeling that simulates soil C storage and GHG losses in intensively grazed pastures; 3) refinement of the Northeast Dairy Emissions Estimator (NDEE) to reflect soil C and GHG dynamics with intensive grazing; and 4) dissemination of our research products, both through direct extension and via eOrganic and the USDA Northeast Climate Hub.

Our specific objectives include the folllowing.

• Quantify soil organic carbon stocks on three organic dairy farms located in New England.
• Investigate drivers of soil carbon stabilization with grazing, i.e., biomass production and allocation, N inputs, soil organic matter decomposition, bulk density, and time.
• Measure soil N2O emissions in grazed and ungrazed pastures and comparing them, in net global warming potential (GWP) equivalents, to changes in SOC stocks.
• Develop a grazing-specific version of the biogeochemical model Manure-DeNitrifcation-DeComposition (DNDC).
• Refine the Northeast Dairy Emissions Estimator using the updated Manure-DNDC model.
• Disseminate research results through workshops, webinars, and bulletins to help farmers and service providers better understand how they might build soil C stocks and minimizes soil greenhouse gas losses.