NETWORK FOR MITIGATION OF ENTERIC METHANE, AMMONIA, AND NITROUS OXIDE EMISSIONS FROM RUMINANT LIVESTOCK

the livestock sector contributes 48% of the total agricultural greenhouse gas (ghg) emissions and is the largest single source of methane in the u.s. the main goal of this proposal is to continue and expand the project team's on-going international activities related to mitigation of gaseous emissions (methane, ammonia, and nitrous oxide) from ruminant systems. the project will deliver databases and analyses critically-important for predicting and mitigating livestock ghg and ammonia emissions. specifically, project activities will result in the development of the following databases: enteric methane prediction, enteric methane mitigation, nitrogen emission prediction, and nitrogen emission mitigation. the databases will contain individual animal data and treatment means from published and unpublished data provided by network collaborators. each database will contain sub-databases for the main ruminant species (dairy, beef, and small ruminants). these network activities will: (1) allow development of robust and reliable enteric methane, ammonia, and nitrous oxide emissions prediction models; (2) allow development of regional or country specific emission factors that can be used at ipcc tier 2 or 3 levels for more accurate accounting of ghg and ammonia emissions; (3) provide to stakeholders scientifically-based recommendations on effective and feasible ghg and ammonia mitigation practices; and (4) allow quantifying ghg and ammonia emission reduction through dietary, feed additive, or other mitigation options. as part of the above activities, u.s. scientists will actively participate in the ceders project (a large multi-national network project funded through the european joint programming initiative on agriculture, food security and climate change, facce era-gas).