Soil carbon stays put in switch from pasture to no-till corn

Farmers who planted no-till corn where pasture or grasses once grew can still sequester carbon and reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, according to a report from scientists with the Agricultural Research Service. Find more information on the study here.

This Nebraska-based study was conducted by Ron Follett, a senior supervisory scientist at the ARS Soil Plant Nutrient Research Unit in Fort Collins, Colorado. It included six years of monitoring soil organic carbon levels in a field that was converted from bromegrass to no-till corn.

The researchers collected soil samples at three depths to analyze the total amount of soil carbon at each depth and determine whether the carbon was previously sequestered by bromegrass or newly sequestered by the corn.

The results were recently published in Agronomy Journal and showed that: the total amount of carbon didn’t change.

The rates of loss of soil organic carbon previously sequestered in the top two depths by the bromegrass were offset by similar rates of increase in newly sequestered carbon from the corn. There was little or no change at the third depth.

In other words, converting grass/pasture land to no-till corn production had no impact on GHG emissions from the soil and helps refute the indirect land use theory.

Photo: From Debbie Borg's blog post - no-till corn planted on a field that has been no-till for 20 years.

USDA says 'no' to penalty-free CRP opt-outs

Secretary of Agriculture Ed Schafer announced today that USDA will not allow penalty-free opt-outs this year for acres currently enrolled in the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP).

"We believe the decision that we are announcing today strikes best balance between supporting programs to protect natural resources and meeting the demands for grain production," Schafer said.

Schafer said record-high corn prices have retreated 25%, while soybean prices dropped 14%. He added that this year's floods may have had less of an impact than originally believed, and crop conditions continue to improve, with the latest conditions above the five-year average.

Even without penalty-free opt-outs, Schafer said the 2008 farm bill will lead to a smaller CRP. The farm bill lowers the cap on CRP acres, he said, from 39.2 to 32.0 million. That means the 34.7 million acres enrolled now will shrink. In September this year, 1.1 million acres expire, followed by 3.8 million in 2009 and 4.4 million in 2010. Of course some of those acres will be re-enrolled, but others will likely enter into production.

Grazing/haying CRP acres stuck in court

The current court mess involving opening Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) acres for haying and grazing continues after U.S. District Judge John Coughenour yesterday extended his temporary restraining order.

The court case is in Seattle involves USDA's May decision to open up all CRP acres for the Critical Feed Use program after the primary nesting season ends for grass-nesting birds. USDA did this to provide additional feed options for livestock producers facing higher costs for grains and other feed ingredients.

According to an article on AgWeb.com, the judge ordered USDA and members of the National Wildlife Federation, which filed the lawsuit to stop haying and grazing, to find a compromise by noon on Tuesday. He suggested that some acres be released, maybe up to 2.5 million, as part of a compromise.

Several livestock groups joined in filing a brief supporting opening the acres, including the National Pork Producers Council, National Cattlemen's Beef Association and Nebraska Cattlemen. The National Wildlife Federation was joined in the lawsuit by several state affiliates.

In his blog, DTN's Chris Clayton said the judge made it clear he believes USDA violated its regulations and a federal law requiring an environmental impact study before releasing CRP acres in this case. Performing such a study would take a lot of time, including being open for public comment. That would come to late for livestock producers looking for additional feed options.

CRP grazing opened in some areas

Agriculture Secretary Ed Schafer said yesterday that he is releasing Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) acres for livestock grazing in counties recently designated as Presidential Disaster Areas because of flooding. Several Nebraska counties are included.

To be approved, CRP participants must write their county FSA office, obtain a modified conservation plan and receive county office approval before beginning to graze. Participants will experience a 25 percent reduction in their CRP rental payments.

This follows an announcement in May that USDA would allow grazing/haying on more than 24 million CRP acres after the primary nesting season ends for grass-nesting birds.

Nebraska counties involved include:
Adams, Antelope, Arthur, Blaine, Boone, Boyd, Brown, Buffalo, Burt, Butler, Cass, Chase, Cherry, Clay, Colfax, Cuming, Custer, Dakota, Dawson, Dodge, Douglas, Dixon, Dundy, Fillmore, Franklin, Frontier, Furnas, Gage, Garfield, Gosper, Greeley, Hall, Hamilton, Harlan, Hayes, Hitchcock, Holt, Hooker, Howard, Jefferson, Johnson, Kearney, Keith, Keya Paha, Knox, Lancaster, Lincoln, Logan, Loup, Madison, McPherson, Merrick, Nance, Nemaha, Nuckolls, Otoe, Pawnee, Perkins, Phelps, Pierce, Platte, Polk, Red Willow, Richardson, Rock, Saline, Sarpy, Saunders, Seward, Sherman, Stanton, Thayer, Thomas, Thurston, Valley, Washington, Wayne, Webster, Wheeler, York