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Greenhouse Gas Reduction Potential of Agricultural Best Management Practices

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Greenhouse Gas Reduction Potential of Agricultural Best Management Practices Climate change October 2019 Greenhouse gas reduction potential of agricultural best management practices This technical report provides a description of the methodologies used to estimate greenhouse gas emissions reduction potential from 21 practices related to changing land use, cropping practices, and nutrient reduction. Authors Peter Ciborowski, Principal Author Contributors/acknowledgements Leslie Hunter-Larson, MPCA Librarian We are grateful to the following people who reviewed the study and provided comments: Marco Graziani, Minnesota Pollution Control Agency Gregory Johnson, Minnesota Pollution Control Agency Dave Wall, Minnesota Pollution Control Agency Suzanne Rhees, Minnesota Board of Soil and Water Dan Shaw, Minnesota Board of Soil and Water Peter Gillitzer, Minnesota Department of Agriculture Brad Redlin, Minnesota Department of Agriculture Amanda Kueper, Minnesota Department of Natural Resources Joseph Fargione, Nature Conservancy Jessica Gutknecht, University of Minnesota Amy Swan, Colorado State University Tom Wirth, US Environmental Protection Agency Editing and graphic design Risikat Adesaogun Jennifer Holstad Barb Olafson Minnesota Pollution Control Agency 520 Lafayette Road North | Saint Paul, MN 55155-4194 | 651-296-6300 | 800-657-3864 | Or use your preferred relay service. | [email protected] This report is available in alternative formats upon request, and online at www.pca.state.mn.us. Document number: p-gen4-19 Table of contents Table of contents ........................................................................................................................................... i List of Tables ................................................................................................................................................ iii Executive summary ....................................................................................................................................... v Agriculture and climate change in Minnesota .............................................................................................. v What do we know? ....................................................................................................................................... v What does it mean for Minnesota? .............................................................................................................. v What impact can agricultural best practices make? .................................................................................... vi Agricultural best Practices: Terms to know ............................................................................................... viii A. Introduction and summary ................................................................................................................... 1 II. Methodology ............................................................................................................................................. 6 III. Results .................................................................................................................................................... 18 IV. Detailed results and discussion ............................................................................................................. 22 C. Shelterbelts and hedgerows ................................................................................................................... 38 D. Field borders, contour buffer strips, vegetative barriers, herbaceous wind barriers ............................ 43 E. Grassland riparian buffers ....................................................................................................................... 45 F. Forested and multispecies riparian buffers ............................................................................................ 51 G. Winter cover crop/Catch crop ................................................................................................................ 57 H. No-till tillage ........................................................................................................................................... 64 I. Reduced tillage ......................................................................................................................................... 75 J. No till: Reduced tillage counterfactual .................................................................................................... 80 K. Cropland to hayland conversion ............................................................................................................. 83 L. Perennial grass added to annual crop rotation ....................................................................................... 88 M. Corn-soybean rotation in place of continuous corn .............................................................................. 92 V. Practices for which only preliminary estimates are available ................................................................ 97 Appendix A. Constructed and restored wetlands ..................................................................................... 100 Appendix B. Biochar .................................................................................................................................. 102 Appendix C. Split fertilizer application ...................................................................................................... 104 Appendix D. Subsurface fertilizer placement ........................................................................................... 105 Appendix E. Spring fertilizer placement .................................................................................................... 106 Appendix F. Controlled release fertilizers ................................................................................................. 107 Appendix G. Nitrification and urease inhibitors ....................................................................................... 108 i Appendix H. Emissions-avoided from 15% reduction in nitrogen fertilizer use ....................................... 109 Endnotes ................................................................................................................................................... 109 Database bibliography .............................................................................................................................. 125 Database references for practices for which only preliminary results are available ............................... 197 ii List of Tables Table 1. Agricultural practices examined in this study ................................................................................. 3 Table 2. Estimated annual greenhouse gas-avoidance from agricultural practices (CO2-equivalent short tons per 100,000 acres per year) .......................................................................................................... 5 Table 3. Sources of emissions-avoidance or increase for agricultural practices .......................................... 9 Table 4. Calculative basis for emissions-avoided or emissions-increase estimates: indirect N2O, urea and liming CO2, GHGs from fuel use and agricultural chemical and fuels manufacture ........................... 16 Table 5. Fuel use changes by agricultural or land-use practice .................................................................. 17 Table 6. Assumed changes in fertilizer and agricultural chemicals use by agricultural or land-use practicea ............................................................................................................................................................ 17 Table 7. Emissions-avoided from agricultural practices (short CO2-e tons per 100,000 acres per year) ... 19 a Table 8 Emissions-avoided from agricultural practices (short CO2-e tons per 100,000 acres per year) .. 21 Table 9. Land retirement/Long-term idling - Grassland restoration: Emissions-avoided .......................... 24 Table 10. Published estimates of greenhouse gas-avoidance from cropland idling in unmanaged grassland a ........................................................................................................................................... 25 Table 11. Descriptive statistics: Land retirement/Long-term idling - Grassland restoration, carbon sequestration in soils and biomass ..................................................................................................... 28 Table 12. Descriptive statistics: Land retirement/Long-term idling - Grassland restoration, N2O ............. 30 Table 13. Descriptive statistics: Land retirement/Long-term idling - Grassland restoration, CH4.............. 31 Table 14. Land retirement/Long-term idling - Afforestation: Emissions-avoided ...................................... 32 Table 15. Descriptive statistics: Land retirement/Long-term idling - Afforestation, carbon sequestration in soils and biomass ............................................................................................................................ 35 Table 16. Descriptive statistics: Land retirement/Long-term idling - Afforestation, N2O .......................... 37 Table 17. Descriptive statistics: Land retirement/Long-term idling - Afforestation, CH4 ........................... 38 Table 18. Shelterbelts and hedgerows: Emissions-avoided ........................................................................ 40 Table 19. Descriptive statistics: Shelterbelts andhedgerows - carbon sequestration
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