Predicting greenhouse gas emission reductions potentially achieved by nutrient management
practices – RTI International’s CLEANEAST(TM) project case study

Abstract

Introduction - The Comprehensive Livestock Environmental Assessment and Nutrient Management Plan (CLEANEAST™) Project was a Congressionally-funded project administered through a cooperative agreement between the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and RTI International to provide environmental assessments (EAs) and nutrient management planning (NMP) assistance to livestock and poultry operations. Four hundred twenty-ninety (429) farms received on-site services from CLEANEAST™. In this paper, we present an analysis of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from the manure storage practices on the 190 dairy farms served by the Project. We compare emissions from actual nutrient management-based storage practices to emissions estimated if 100% of the dairies converted to one of four Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)-reviewed manure storage practices,