Dairy Manure Co-composting with Wood Biochar Plays a Critical Role in Meeting Global Methane Goals.

Livestock are the largest source of anthropogenic methane (CH) emissions, and in intensive dairy systems, manure management can contribute half of livestock CH. Recent policies such as California's short-lived climate pollutant reduction law (SB 1383) and the Global Methane Pledge call for cuts to livestock CH by 2030. However, investments in CH reduction strategies are primarily aimed at liquid dairy manure, whereas stockpiled solids remain a large source of CH.

Soil carbon response to long-term biosolids application.

Astudy was conducted in three agroecosystems in California (Sacramento, Solano, and Merced counties) that received biosolids applications for 20 yr. Management varied in application rates and frequencies, resulting in average cumulative amount of biosolids applied of 74 (Solano), 105 (Merced), and 359 (Sacramento) Mg biosolids ha , resulting in the addition of 26 (Solano), 36 (Merced), and 125 (Sacramento) Mg biosolids-C ha . Measurements included soil organic carbon (SOC) and total nitrogen (N) concentrations from 0 to 100 cm and microbial biomass C (MBC) and microbial biomass N (MBN) from 0 to 30 cm in biosolids-amended and control sites.

Reducing climate impacts of beef production: A synthesis of life cycle assessments across management systems and global regions.

The global demand for beef is rapidly increasing (FAO, 2019), raising concern about climate change impacts (Clark et al., 2020; Leip et al., 2015; Springmann et al.

Quantifying the Farmland Application of Compost to Help Meet California's Organic Waste Diversion Law.

California's landmark waste diversion law, SB 1383, mandates the diversion of 75% of organic waste entering landfills by 2025. Much of this organic waste will likely be composted and applied to farms. However, compost is expensive and energy intensive to transport, which limits the distance that compost can be shipped.

Soil Carbon and Nitrogen Dynamics in Two Agricultural Soils Amended with Manure-Derived Biochar.

Biochar has been promoted as a means to sequester C and improve soil quality. Biochar produced from agricultural waste streams and recycled as a soil amendment also provides a strategy for improved nutrient management in agricultural systems. The effects of biochar amendment on soil C and N cycling remain poorly constrained.

The Nitrogen Footprint Tool Network: A Multi-Institution Program To Reduce Nitrogen Pollution.

Anthropogenic sources of reactive nitrogen have local and global impacts on air and water quality and detrimental effects on human and ecosystem health. This article uses the Nitrogen Footprint Tool (NFT) to determine the amount of nitrogen (N) released as a result of institutional consumption. The sectors accounted for include food (consumption and upstream production), energy, transportation, fertilizer, research animals, and agricultural research.

Networking our science to characterize the state, vulnerabilities, and management opportunities of soil organic matter.

Soil organic matter (SOM) supports the Earth's ability to sustain terrestrial ecosystems, provide food and fiber, and retains the largest pool of actively cycling carbon. Over 75% of the soil organic carbon (SOC) in the top meter of soil is directly affected by human land use. Large land areas have lost SOC as a result of land use practices, yet there are compensatory opportunities to enhance productivity and SOC storage in degraded lands through improved management practices.

Long-term climate change mitigation potential with organic matter management on grasslands.

Compost amendments to grasslands have been proposed as a strategy to mitigate climate change through carbon (C) sequestration, yet little research exists exploring the net mitigation potential or the long-term impacts of this strategy. We used field data and the DAYCENT biogeochemical model to investigate the climate change mitigation potential of compost amendments to grasslands in California, USA. The model was used to test ecosystem C and greenhouse gas responses to a range of compost qualities (carbon to nitrogen [C:N] ratios of 11.

Effects of organic matter amendments on net primary productivity and greenhouse gas emissions in annual grasslands.

Most of the world's grasslands are managed for livestock production. A critical component of the long-term sustainability and profitability of rangelands (e.g.