Improved Greenhouse Gas Mitigation for Manure Storage Systems in Cold Climates

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On-farm manure management is one of the most significant environmental challenges facing modern livestock agriculture. Containing and treating manure in an efficient manner is essential to minimize the hazards of both point and non-point source water pollution and also meet more stringent air quality standards. During the storage of manure, several undesirable gases including ammonia, methane and nitrous oxide can be released into the atmosphere. These gases represent both direct and in-direct sources of greenhouse gases which can contribute to global climate change. The anaerobic nature of liquid manure systems also increases its potential for odour production. Management strategies therefore need to be developed and tested which support the mitigation of these gas emissions from storages while also considering any possible trade-off effects that may exist. The objectives of this research program are to quantify emissions of multiple gases emanating from manure storages and develop strategies for their reduction while also examining specific tradeoff issues. Over the next five-years we will train 3 PhD, 4 MSc, 2 Post Doctoral Fellows, 2 research technicians and at least 10 undergraduate research assistants through this novel and multi-disciplinary research program. Utilizing a unique and state-of-the-art research facility we will quantify emissions from different management systems simultaneously which will allow for the development of farm-level recommendations for Canadian climatic conditions. This research program will also support the development and testing of a number of relevant and adaptive Beneficial Management Practices' that can be utilized to support manure management codes of practice, nutrient/manure management planning recommendations and environmental farm planning considerations. Through this research program we will define processes driving emissions from the emptying and filling of manure/slurry storages; solid-liquid separated manure and emissions from the anaerobic digestion of manure. We will also utilize these findings to improve model estimates of greenhouse gas and ammonia emissions from manure storages, especially in cold climate conditions. This will provide new knowledge and significant discoveries linking greenhouse gas, ammonia and odour emissions from manure storage facilities and will have a significant impact on Canada's ability to maintain its reputation in sustainable agriculture production and also support more accurate estimates of the greenhouse gas emissions from our agriculture sector.