USDA outlines new methods to push greenhouse gas emission savings

In Washington, USDA released a report that, for the first time, provides uniform scientific methods for quantifying the changes in greenhouse gas emissions and carbon storage from various land management and conservation activities. The report is titled Quantifying Greenhouse Gas Fluxes in Agriculture and Forestry: Methods for Entity-Scale Inventory, and USDA said that, among other benefits, it will help farmers, ranchers and forest landowners participate in emerging carbon markets.

The report is the work of 38 experts and 29 reviewers. Current USDA carbon tools, such as USDA’s COMET-Farm, are being updated to incorporate the new methods. Using COMET-Farm, a land manager who is considering a shift to no-till production system, for example, can evaluate the soil carbon benefits of that system and consider revenue opportunities provided by entering into a voluntary agreement with a carbon market.

You can download the report here.