To promote the long-term sustainability and productivity of U.S. corn-based cropping systems against recent climate trends and future uncertainty.

Project Objectives:

1. Develop standardized methodologies and perform baseline monitoring of carbon, nitrogen and water footprints at agricultural test sites across the Midwest.
2. Evaluate how crop management practices impact carbon, nitrogen and water footprints at test sites.
3. Apply models to research data and climate scenarios to identify impacts and outcomes that could affect the sustainability and economic vitality of corn-based cropping systems.
4. Gain knowledge of farmer beliefs and concerns about climate change, attitudes toward adaptative and mitigative strategies and practices, and decision support needs to inform the development of tools and practices that support long-term sustainability of crop production.
5. Promote extension, outreach and stakeholder learning and participation across all aspects of the program.
6. Train the next generation of scientists, develop science education curricula and promote learning opportunities for high school teachers and students.

The CSCAP project's multi-pronged approach utilizes place-based education at multiple levels (9-12, undergraduate, graduate, extension and stakeholders) to increase learning and foster a new generation of scientists, farmers, entrepreneurs and citizens.

Printable handout pdf >> Greenhouse Gas and Agriculture Fact Sheet, Michael Castellano, Iowa State University (Acrobat (PDF) 651kB Oct20 15)

Greenhouse gases (GHG) include an array of naturally occurring and human-synthesized chemical compounds. On a mass basis, each GHG traps a different amount of heat in the atmosphere. Global warming potential (GWP) is a relative measure that standardizes comparisons of heat trapping capacity among different GHGs. GWP compares the amount of heat trapped by a given mass of a specific GHG to an equivalent mass of carbon dioxide (mass CO2Eq) over a set period of time, typically 100 years. For example, because nitrous oxide (N2O) has a GWP of 298, an emission of one megaton of N2O has a heat trapping capacity equivalent to an emission of 298 megatons of CO2 (1 Mt N2O = 298 Mt CO2 (1 Mt N2O = 298 Mt CO2 Eq) over a period of 100 years. Anthropogenic (human-caused) GHG emissions are dominated by CO2, N2O and methane (CH4). Based on CO2 Eq, these gases account for approximately 97.8% of all U.S. anthropogenic GHG emissions.

Biological systems dominate CO2, CH4, and N2O production. Agricultural systems, which cover 40-50% of Earth's land surface, are biological and affect production of these gases. Agriculture directly accounts for 10-12% of total global anthropogenic GHG emissions. However, if land use change is added to this proportion, agriculture accounts for 17-30% of total global anthropogenic GHG emissions. In the U.S., agricultural GHG emissions account for 6-9% of total anthropogenic GHG emissions and land use change is a net GHG sink. N2O production from agricultural soil management is the major GHG source, which accounts for 35-50% of total U.S. agricultural GHG emissions. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has identified improved agricultural soil management as the most prominent option for technically and economically feasible agricultural GHG mitigation. Recent research has determined that high yields (mass/area) coupled with high nitrogen fertilizer use efficiency (mass crop N uptake/mass N applied) achieve the lowest GHG emissions per unit yield. Management practices and technologies that simultaneously enhance crop yield and nitrogen fertilizer use efficiency will be the most effective mitigation strategies. Accordingly, cropland GHG mitigation objectives are typically cost-effective and consistent with financial goals.

Pages / Length: 1

The full collection of Resilient Agriculture publications can be found here: Resilient Agriculture CSCAP (Acrobat (PDF) 4.2MB Oct31 15)

For more information, contact: Dr. Michael Castellano, Assistant Professor, Iowa State University, castelmj@iastate.edu, 515-294-3963

This presentation was given at the Climate and Corn-based Cropping Systems Coordinated Agricultural Project (CSCAP) 2012 Annual Meeting. This handout and supplemental video are approved for use in research, education, and extension outlets.

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