Overview

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.