Estimating N2O Reductions from Nutrient Management in the Chesapeake Watershed

The goal of the project is to develop and implement a greenhouse gas tool for estimating N2O reductions from nutrient management in the Chesapeake Bay watershed. This tool is intended to help reduce some of the technological and financial barriers to certifying carbon offset credits generated by nutrient management projects. The project will estimate the N2O emissions benefits of three different nutrient management approaches: soil testing/adaptive management, manure injection, and variable rate technology, providing the ability to compare and contrast these approaches in terms of greenhouse gas benefits, fertilizer savings and obstacles to greater implementation. Specific objectives of the project include: 1) Implementing enhanced nutrient management on approximately 3,800 acres of cropland; 2) calibrating and validating the DNDC model for cropping systems in the Chesapeake Bay watershed; 3) creating a more user-friendly version of the DNDC model by developing the underlying regional soil and climate databases; 4) testing and applying the DNDC model on participating farms, with EQIP-eligible producers, to determine the potential for carbon offset credits; 5) preparing and submitting a Greenhouse Gas Project Plan to the American Carbon Registry; 6) conducting three workshops to educate farmers and technical service providers on the pilot project; and 7) achieve third party certification and validation of credits 8) compare and contrast the greenhouse gas benefits and implementation costs of three different nutrient management approaches.