Abstract
The United States has a goal to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions to 50-52% below 2005 levels by 2030 (The White House, 2021). In 2020, the agriculture sector accounted for 11.2 percent of GHG emissions (USDA ERS, 2022). To meet the 2030 goal, US farms and businesses need to accelerate the implementation of new and innovative GHG reduction strategies rapidly. The first strategy is to use regenerative agriculture practices, including no-till farming and regenerative grazing. The second strategy is to improve methane management by providing livestock with better diets and installing methane digesters. Execution of the two strategies will be very effective if the message is communicated to farmers and companies clearly and directly. The companies and farmers will be informed by targeting large agriculture institutions and the cooperative business throughout the nation. Regenerative agriculture and methane management strategies will push United States agriculture greenhouse gas emission targets toward the 2030 goal.
The Problem
The most crucial purpose of agriculture is to foster life, however, it is currently harming life with GHG emissions. Agriculture is one of the top five GHG producing sectors in the United States (USDA ERS, 2022). In 2020 the industry was responsible for 11.2 percent of all US GHG emissions, equivalent to 669.5 million metric tons of carbon dioxide (USDA ERS, 2022). Of the GHG produced, 50.25 percent were nitrous oxide, 37.5 percent were methane, and 12 percent were carbon dioxide (USDA ERS, 2022). These statistics are alarming, but a change in methods and practices can reduce the GHG released into the atmosphere. The United States has set a goal to reduce GHG emissions to 50-52% below 2005 levels by 2030 (The White House, 2021). To meet this goal, the agriculture industry must be a key player. Regenerative agriculture and methane management strategies will push US agriculture GHG emission targets toward the 2030 goal.
Solution 1: Regenerative Agriculture
US agriculture is expansive, reaching 893.4 million acres nationwide (M. Shahbandeh, 2023). To achieve 2030 goals, the millions of acres must be cared for sustainably; this practice is called regenerative agriculture. Two of the most effective and easy ways to implement regenerative agriculture are through no till farming and regenerative grazing.
No till farming limits the number of times farmers tills their fields. Tilling warms a field’s soil and removes weeds. However, it also harms the soil and the organisms that live in it, worsening the soil quality (Spears, 2018). Choosing not to till the field also increases soil quality by raising water holding capacity, reducing soil erosion, and improving biological activity. No till practices also keep carbon sequestered in the ground. Studies show that using no till practices can increase soil organic carbon by nine percent after two years and 21 percent after six years (Spears, 2018).
These statistics demonstrate just how effective a change in practices can be.
Rotational grazing promotes the land’s carbon sequestration. Rotational grazing is implemented by moving herds from padlock to padlock, opposed to allowing the livestock in one large field without rotation. This allows the cattle to feed off the land while allowing the grasses to grow back, creating a powerful cycle. Studies have shown that this practice can sequester 1.1 tons of carbon per 2.47 acres (Gewin, 2021). This statistic shows the promise of making agriculture a carbon positive industry. Regenerative agriculture is very effective and should be an industry standard.
Solution 2: Methane Management Practices
The US agriculture sector is a top contributor to methane production. Although the gas lasts in the air for only 12 years, it is incredibly potent (International Energy Agency, 2022). Agriculturalists can take advantage of its short life by making the rapid changes needed to meet the 2030 goal. Ruminant livestock such as cattle, sheep, and goats are the largest contributors to the methane produced in United States agriculture (Environmental Protection Agency, 2023). Better diets can make a big impact. With cattle, diets with more carbohydrates and unsaturated fats can reduce the amount of methane released (Jones, 2014). Farmers also can feed their animals supplements that have been proven to reduce the amount of methane released. An example is Mootral. This supplement is made of citrus and garlic extracts and is 100 % natural, making it safe for cattle to ingest (Mootral, 2021). Mootral is proven to have reduced methane emissions by 38 percent (Mootral, 2021). Scientific innovations such as improved diets and supplements will be vital in reaching the 2030 goal.
Another effective methane management strategy is the implementation of a methane (anaerobic) digester. Although this management practice does not reduce the amount of methane produced by livestock, it does put the waste to good use, reducing emissions in other sectors. A methane digester is a device that breaks down organic materials, turning them into biogases and other products. The system works by putting manure and other organic waste into a repository and then heating the waste to sort it into usable products. The gas is captured and cleaned, becoming biogas; the liquid waste can be sprayed to fertilize fields, and the solid waste can be transformed into bedding that can be used for livestock. Based on a waste-to-wheels assessment, the gas produced by biogas can reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 91 percent compared to gasoline (Environmental and Energy Study Institute, 2017). Such an emissions decrease will accelerate GHG levels to 2030 goal levels.
Implementation
Implementation is the most crucial step in achieving the United States ambitious 2030 goal. Two avenues can expedite the practices mentioned. The approaches are to target large businesses and to encourage the United States Cooperative Extension System to share the strategies. Often when a large organization does something, others follow. The United States needs trailblazers in regenerative agriculture and methane management strategies. One company has already taken the first step towards 2030 goals, Archer Daniels Midland. ADM is a massive company existing on six continents and generating net sales of $64 billion in 2020 (ADM 2023). The company has begun implementing regenerative agriculture strategies with goals to reach two million acres of regenerative agriculture farmland by 2030 (ADM, 2022). This is not enough. Two million acres is less than one percent of U.S. farming land. ADM must expand its reach with tools like the Farmers Business Network (ADM Farmers Business Network), increasing its goal significantly.
Now that there is a role model, others should follow suit. Singling out cooperatives is another very positive implementation strategy. For example, Prairie Farms Cooperative is a family-owned dairy cooperative consisting of 700 farms in the Midwest (Prairie Farms, 2023). The cooperative system collects milk from the farms and sells it together. The same cooperative system could be applied to a methane digester. The costs of a digester can range from $180,000 to $300,000, making it unaffordable for many small farm operations (Environmental Protection Agency, 2012). However, if the farms shared a digester, the price would be more feasible and beneficial. Communication and cooperation is how sustainable practices must be implemented to reach 2030 goals.
Moving Forward
Agriculture is a part of the problem, but has the potential to become part of the solution. With effective regenerative agriculture implementation and innovative methane management strategies, greenhouse gas emissions can be reduced towards the 50-52 percent target that has been set by the United States government. Farmland has untapped potential in the sequestration of carbon with regenerative agriculture. Methane management can reduce emissions. Moving forward, the industry should continue to support trailblazers, big and small, towards their contribution to the 2030 goal.
Works Cited
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