Reducing Greenhouse Gas Emissions in Wisconsin Agriculture
The Natural Climate Solutions Roadmap is a first-of-its-kind analysis using detailed scientific research and on-the-ground case studies to build a viable path toward net-zero emissions of greenhouse gases in Wisconsin’s agricultural sector.
Even as greenhouse gas emissions begin to drop in other sectors of our economy, emissions from Wisconsin agriculture have been rising rapidly. The Natural Climate Solutions Roadmap is the result of a collaboration among farmers, researchers, advocates, and supply-chain experts to reverse this trend and transition to vibrant, sustainable agricultural systems that benefit everyone in Wisconsin’s farming communities.
Healthier, more diverse farms
This research reveals an urgent need for key changes in Wisconsin’s agricultural systems. Simply put, Wisconsin needs more crop diversity and perennial crops, more trees incorporated into farmland, less fertilizer and chemical use, and more livestock moved out of the barns and onto grazing pasture. These changes will not only reduce emissions; they will reduce local water contamination and topsoil loss, two major concerns in the state’s farming communities.
Key Findings
- Reducing application rates of nitrogen fertilizer will immediately reduce greenhouse emissions from agricultural soils.
- Cover crops and no-till farming on annual crops like corn and soybeans have negligible benefits when it comes to reducing greenhouse gas emissions. While these practices do improve water quality by reducing soil erosion and fertilizer and manure runoff, their potential to offset agricultural emissions is extremely limited.
- Reducing acreage used to produce biofuels like ethanol will bring immediate greenhouse gas reductions. Transitioning the million-plus acres of land currently used for corn-based ethanol to perennial crops or managed grazing would further reduce emissions.
- Achieving climate goals will require significant reductions in livestock emissions through better manure management, dietary modifications, and other practices.
- Perennial agriculture systems—such as agroforestry, silvopasture, rotationally-managed pastures, and perennial food crops—offer the greatest greenhouse gas reduction potential. They also produce high-value, nutrient-dense food products and provide environmental benefits including improved water quality, flood reduction and enhanced biodiversity.
