Skip to main content
ARS Home » Plains Area » Mandan, North Dakota » Northern Great Plains Research Laboratory » Research » Research Project #446272
Research Project: Action Area No. 2 (AA2) – Greenhouse Gas Research Network – Plains Area Cropland Emissions (Mandan)

Location: Northern Great Plains Research Laboratory

Project Number: 3064-21600-001-022-I
Project Type: Interagency Reimbursable Agreement

Start Date: Mar 22, 2024
End Date: Aug 31, 2031

Objective:
IRA GHG Quantification Action Area #2 – GHG Research Network Action Area Objectives: 1. Develop a research and monitoring network to collect and synthesize multi-scale data on nitrous oxide (N2O) and methane (CH4) emissions from cropping and livestock production systems that represent major agricultural sources of these two gases. Prioritizing which systems to monitor is a function of which data are most useful for other Action Areas to evaluate practices that can reduce emissions and improve models, including for conservation program outcomes, exploring model comparisons, and supporting the Inventory of U.S. Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Sinks (the National GHG Inventory). 2. Coordinate with other USDA agencies and IRA GHG Quantification Action Areas to maximize data utility, including AA#1 to integrate GHG data collection with soil carbon and biomass data collection as much as possible; AA#3 for data management; AA#5 to support NRCS conservation practice standards and implementation; AA#6 for conservation activity data collection and synthesis; and AA#4 and AA#7 to improve models.

Approach:
The proposed research will facilitate the quantification of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from practices that address multiple Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) Conservation Practice Standards (CPS). Plains Area is charged with quantifying 4Rs of nitrogen management strategies (CPS 590), use of cover crops (CPS 340), reduced tillage (CPS 345), crop residue management (CPS 329) techniques, and land converted to grassland (CPS 550). Quantifying GHG emissions from these practices compared to prevailing agricultural methods in semi-arid to arid environments will help to inform decision making models for NRCS. Data collection will focus on GHG emissions from from agricultural management practices on croplands and in beef production grazing systems.