Progress 09/01/10 to 08/31/15
Outputs
Target Audience:The primary target audience has beenorganic producers, both certified and non-certified. Secondary targets have beenWashington State Department of Agricultureorganic certification program; undergraduate students, and thegeneral public. Changes/Problems:
Nothing Reported
What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Two graduate students have completed their M.S. theses as part of this project, and two others have contributed to the project. Each of the students have gained training and professional development related to this project. In addition, four technical staff have contributed to the project who have also gained new trainings.These trainings include: M.S. in Environmental Science: 1 student M.S. in Soil Science: 1 student Life Cycle Assessment 1-day workshop: 1 student, 1 staff Open LCA training: 1 student, 2 staff Data management and R Statistical package 3-day workshop: 3 students Coursera course in Life Cycle Assessment: 1 student Mentorship in decomposition dynamics research: 2 students, 2 staff Participation in conferences: 3 students, 3 staff How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?The team initiated public outreach for producers, professionals, and communities of interest in November 2010 with a webinar on "Greenhouse Gases in Agriculture: Where Does Organic Farming Fit?" Our group of farmer stakeholders and researchers held twice-annual meetings to guide the research, conduct farm tours and inspections, and to work with the Ofoot model. The primary end-product of the projectis the OFoot tool, which cancontribute to the long-term profitability and sustainability of organic agriculture. The Ofoot tool beta version was posted to the web in September 2013, and updated versions approximately each 6 months, leading to the standing version posted July 2015.This tool evaluates the global warming potential (in CO2-equivalents)from organic farming and the carbon footprint of organic products. Therefore, the LCA contributes to organic farming profitability by 1) evaluating the carbon credit achieved from carbon sequestration and reduced emissions and 2) meeting the international market requirements for climate friendly products. In addition to evaluating climate change impact, the integrated tool also evaluates organic carbon sequestration and nitrogen cyclingwhich is the main mechanism to increase soil fertility in organic farming. The tool enables evaluation ofalternative farm management options that mayimprove soil and water quality and/or reduce greenhouse gas emissions.Assessment of emissions and soil fertility contributes to the long-term sustainability of organic agriculture and allows producers to estimate the effects of management choices. We have madefivepublic presentations about this project and use of the Ofoot tool at the Tilth Producers of Washington annual conferences (2010, 2013, 2014, 2015)and the California Climate Action Network (2015), and engaged undergraduate students at Washington State University. Undergraduate students used the Ofoot tool as a course assignment and provided feedback about the usability of the current product.These events haveintroducedproducers, inspectors, students, and other ag professionalsto the method of use and content of the Ofoot toolfor assessing the soil carbon, nutrient cycling, and greenhouse gas impacts of organic farming practices and systems. Professional peers were informed aboutthe project and Ofoot tool at a seminar in the Washington State University Department of Crop and Soil Sciences, and atthe Agronomy Society of America annual conference. The team has also had conversations with the Washington State Department of Agriculture Organic Program leadership and inspectors. WSDA is highly interested to cooperate in further developments of Ofoot to make the tool dovetail with organic certification requirements. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?
Nothing Reported
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Goal 1. Laboratory and field experiments were conducted in Pullman, Royal City, and Puyallup WAto determine the carbon sequestration, greenhouse gas balance, and nutrient availability effects of green manures, livestock manures, composts, commercial organic fertilizers, and crop residues. Nutrient availability was studied using both traditional chemical extractants and ion exchange resins to assess this alternative technology.Thesedata, in addition to prior published research, havebeen used toparameterize and evaluate predictive models. Goal 2. The CropSyst model for crop and soil carbon and nitrogen dynamics has been significantly enhancedto enable quantitative prediction of the carbon-, nutrient-, and greenhouse gas-related ecosystem services of operations common to organic farming. Twenty-eight new crops were added to the program to better represent the high diversity of many organic farming enterprises. The capacity to use short-term and long-term cover crops and green manures was added. A crop phenology adjuster was added to fit crop growth dynamics across the U.S. Pacific Northwest. Decomposition and nutrient release dynamics of a range of organic crop residues, composts, manures, and mined fertilizers were added. Goal 3. A simplified model with LCA capabilities (OFoot) was developed and made available online to allow the evaluation by farmers, agencies, extension personnel, and organic certifiers of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, carbon sequestration, and nitrogen leachingunder user-specified farmconditions.This tool is now available at ofoot.wsu.edu . The tool indicates the overall farm carbon footprint as well as the major and individual sources of this footprint. Farm carbon footprint information is graphically and numerically described, andlinked to U.S.E.P.A. website to further compare a farm footprint to other sources and activities such as automotive and household carbon footprints. Goal 4. Educational outreach has been conducted at multiple events. Organic producers, inspectors, students, and other ag professionals have been trainedto use the Ofoot tool. See further details below in dissemination. Goal 5. The tool has been used to thoroughly assessthe 5 commercial certified organic farms and 2 certified organic research fields that have collaborated throughout this project. In addition approximately 30 other farms have used the tool so far. One of the producers has so far used the outputs from this tool as documentation of environmental stewardship to gain a high value contract for his farm products. The tool indicates not only overall farm carbon footprint but indicates the sources of carbon footprint.The producers have frequently been surprised at the results, and subsequently consider or makechanges in farm management. Most people are unaware of the embedded (or embodied) energy and carbon footprint in equipment and infrastructure. Several have also been surprised at the carbon footprint comparison of electricity and fuel from various sources. For instance, because biodiesel carries a very low carbon footprint it has gained interest among our stakeholders. Most find the outputs to be interesting and thought-provoking in numerous ways.
Publications
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2014
Citation:
Carpenter-Boggs, L., et al. 2014. "Decomposition of Dairy Manure Assessed in the Field by Monitoring Natural Abundance of C." Soil Science Society of America Journal 78.6 (2014): 1949-1952.
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2015
Citation:
Adewale, C., L. Carpenter-Boggs, D. Huggins. 2015. Analysis of Organically Farmed Soils Using Ion Exchange Membranes and Chemical Extractions. American Society of Agronomy Annual Meeting, poster 1329.
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2015
Citation:
Adewale, C., L. Carpenter-Boggs, S. Higgins, U. Zaher. 2015. Identifying Hotspots in the Carbon Footprint of a Small Scale Organic Vegetable Farm. American Society of Agronomy Annual Meeting presentation 177-9.
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Under Review
Year Published:
2016
Citation:
Adewale, C., L. Carpenter-Boggs, U. Zaher, S. Higgins, D. Granatstein, A. Thatcher, and C. St�ckle. Identifying Hotspots in the Carbon Footprint of a Small Scale Organic Vegetable Farm. International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment.
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2015
Citation:
Carpenter-Boggs, L., C. Adewale, and S. Higgins. 2015. Carbon Sequestration, Nutrient Bioavailability, and Environmental Services from Organic Agriculture. California Climate Network, Davis, CA, March 25, 2015.
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2015
Citation:
Carpenter-Boggs, L., D. Granatstein, and C. Adewale. 2015. The Environmental Footprint of Organic Farming. Tilth Producers of Washington Annual Conference, Spokane, WA.
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Progress 09/01/13 to 08/31/14
Outputs
Target Audience: All agricultural producers are in the target audience, but in particular organic producers, Organic certifiers, Carbon trading market Agencies, and non-profits working on carbon trading and/or greenhouse gas policy, Changes/Problems: There have been significant delays and problems in combining the Life Cycle Analysis tool with the CropSyst tool. The majority of issues are programming related. We are working through theproblems to complete a combined tool with as many capacities and options as are workable. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided? Graduate student Cornelius Adewale and PI David Granatstein were trained in OpenLCA program use for life cycle analysis. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest? An informational table, poster, and hands-on demonstration of the current state of the project and model were shown at the Tilth Producers of Washington annual conference in Vancouver, WA, Nov. 7-9, 2014. This included meetings with all of the producers in our "Focus Farm" group. The current state of the OFoot calculator is live online at https://ofoot.wsu.edu/ What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals? During the next reporting period the public version of the OFFoot tool will be complete for the current phase of development. The tool and other project results will be disseminated at the California Climate Action Network meeting in March, and in a webinar or video tutorial by June, 2015.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Team meetings were held with a large majority of PIs and technical support in April, June, and October 2011. Development stages of the Life Cycle Analysis and of the combined OFoot model were discussed.
Publications
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2014
Citation:
Carpenter-Boggs, L.A., Carlson, B.R., Higgins, S.S., Stockle, C.O. 2014. Decomposition of dairy manure assessed by monitoring natural abundance of 13C in organically-managed soil. Soil Science Society of America. 78:1949-1952.
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Other
Year Published:
2014
Citation:
Conference poster: Carpenter-Boggs, L., C. Adewale, B. Carlson, D. Granatstein, M. Heppenstall, S. Higgins, D. Huggins, J. Smith, C. Stockle, S. Verhey, U. Zaher. What is the Carbon Footprint of Organic Farming? Tilth Producers of Washington Annual Conference. Vancouver, WA, November 7, 2014.
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Progress 09/01/12 to 08/31/13
Outputs
Target Audience: Organic and sustainable producers Agricultural and Environmental researchers Agricultural, Energy, and Natural Resource Agencies Changes/Problems:
Nothing Reported
What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided? Two graduate students completed their MS programs in this project in 2013. Four people are learning OpenLCA for Life Cycle Assessment. Approximately 15 organic growers used the first public trial of the OFoot tool to estimate their farms' carbon footprint. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest? Three seminars were given at Washington State University, each to approximately 40 researchers, technicians, and students: Carbon Footprint of a Small Diversified Organic Farm; Nutrient and Gas Fluxes of Organically Amended Soils; Nutrient Bioavailability Estimates by Chemical and Ion Exchange Methods. A poster and display were presented to approximately 400 growers and students of organic and sustainable agriculture at the Tilth Producers of Washington Annual Conference, Yakima WA, Nov 8-10, 2013. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals? The OFoot tool will be released to the public for estimation of organic farm carbon footprint. A webinar will be presented through eOrganic to describe the OFoot tool. A brief tutorial will also be posted to the WSU CSANR website. Summary statistics of field and laboratory trials will allow initial validation of the OFoot tool and CropSyst expansion.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Final soil, plant, and gas samples from field and laboratory trials were analyzed. Interpretation of analyses have produced decomposition kinetics descriptions of 7 fertilizers and crop residues. Inventories were created of the inputs, equipment, infrastructure, crops, and activities of each of the 5 organic Focus Farms. One of these farms has been assessed under a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) thus far. Potential nutrient bioavailability in organically managed soils were analyzed using traditional chemical and new ion-exchange methods. Fertilizer recommendations based on these analyses indicate large differences, with significant implications for crop production, waste potential, and grower profit.
Publications
- Type:
Theses/Dissertations
Status:
Accepted
Year Published:
2013
Citation:
Adewale, Cornelius. 2013. CARBON FOOTPRINT AND NUTRIENT BIO-AVAILABILITY ASSESSMENT OF ORGANIC SYSTEMS. M.S. Thesis. Washington State University. Heppenstall, Marina. 2013. CARBON AND NUTRIENT FLUXES IN ORGANICALLY AMENDED SOILS. M.S. Thesis. Washington State University.
- Type:
Websites
Status:
Accepted
Year Published:
2013
Citation:
Center for Sustaining Agriculture and Natural Resources. Organic Farming Footprints (OFoot). http://csanr.wsu.edu/pages/Organic_Farming_Footprints/.
- Type:
Theses/Dissertations
Status:
Accepted
Year Published:
2013
Citation:
Heppenstall, Marina. 2013. CARBON AND NUTRIENT FLUXES IN ORGANICALLY AMENDED SOILS. M.S. Thesis. Washington State University.
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Accepted
Year Published:
2013
Citation:
Carpenter-Boggs, L., C. Adewale, M. Heppenstall., S. Higgins, D. Huggins, J. Smith, C. Stockle, A. Thatcher, U. Zaher. 2013. Organic Farming Footprints: A new tool for organic farm management. Poster and 3-day display. Tilth Producers of Washington Annual Conference, Nov 8-10, 2013, Yakima, WA.
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Progress 09/01/11 to 08/31/12
Outputs
OUTPUTS: Activities:
Field plots were managed in 2012 in Puyallup, WA and Royal City, WA. Organic fertilizers were applied to organically managed plots of spring wheat or bare plots. Gas fluxes were measured intensively during 5 36-hr periods at critical plant growth stages. Soils were sampled and analyzed from multiple fields at all 5 of the OFoot Focus Farms across Washington State. Events:
Two full team meetings were held with a large majority of PIs and Focus Farmers during November 1-2, 2011 and May 19-20, 2011. Initial data from field activities were shared. Development of the Life Cycle Analysis tool was discussed. Output Products:
The online webinar "Greenhouse Gases and Agriculture: Where Does Organic Farming Fit" by co-PI's Lynne Carpenter-Boggs, David Granatstein, and Dave Huggins is available both through YouTube and eOrganic. At YouTube the video has been viewed over 200 times.
An informational poster and mini-presentation were made for a June 26, 2012 event: "Climate, Land Use, and Agricultural and Natural Resources: Activities in Interdisciplinary Research, Education and Outreach." The event was held at Washington State University and organized by the Biosphere-relevant Earth system modeling (BioEarth) team with the Center for Environmental Research, Education, and Outreach (CEREO); the Center for Sustaining Agriculture and Natural Resource (CSANR); and the State of Washington Water Research Center (SWWRC). PARTICIPANTS: PIs:
Lynne Carpenter-Boggs provides overall project management.
Stewart Higgins manages field and lab research.
Claudio Stockle incorporates new data into CropSyst.
Usama Zaher is building databases for life cycle analysis.
David Granatstein provides outreach and extension.
Dave Huggins and Jeff Smith are USDA-ARS and provide guidance in lab analyses. Cooperators:
Five organic farms in Washington managed by April Thatcher, Maurice Robinette, Henning Sehmsdorf, Brad Bailie, and Jim Baird. Other Washington State University employees:
Susan Wang, Bryan Carlson, Rachelle Greenwood, Eric Davidson, Nick Stansbury, Bertie Weddell, Roger Nelson, Marina Heppenstall, and Cornelius Adewale have all contributed to field and/or lab projects in 2012. Marina Heppenstall and Cornelius Adewale are MS students who have taken coursework and have been mentored in research and statistical skills. TARGET AUDIENCES: This project is primarily targeted at organic farmers and commercial outlets for organic farm products. Other producers and businesses involved in certifying carbon credits or sustainability measures will also use the outputs. PROJECT MODIFICATIONS: Nothing significant to report during this reporting period.
Impacts
Students have increased knowledge of farm operations and styles, and research protocols. All PIs and producers have increased knowledge of the diversity of organic farm operations. Producer cooperators have increased knowledge of research methods and the logic used.
Publications
- No publications reported this period
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Progress 09/01/10 to 08/31/11
Outputs
OUTPUTS: Group presentation at 2010 Tilth Producers of Washington Conference, "Measuring the Footprint of Organic Farming: a New WSU Project." Approximately 75 people in attendance, primarily organic farmers and students. eOrganic webinar presented November 15, 2010 by David Granatstein, Lynne Carpenter-Boggs, and Dave Huggins. "Greenhouse Gases and Agriculture: Where Does Organic Farming Fit?" 135 people attended the live webinar and it remains available online: http://www.extension.org/pages/30835/greenhouse-gases-and-agriculture :-where-does-organic-farming-fit-webinar. Measuring the organic footprint. Good Fruit Grower May 1, 2011. P. 20-21. How big is the orchard footprint? Good Fruit Grower May 1, 2011. P. 18. PARTICIPANTS: PIs: Lynne Carpenter-Boggs provides overall project management. Stewart Higgins manages field and lab research. Claudio Stockle incorporates new data into CropSyst. Usama Zaher is building databases for life cycle analysis. David Granatstein provides outreach and extension. Dave Huggins and Jeff Smith are USDA-ARS PI's who provide guidance in lab analyses. Cooperators: 5 organic farms in Washington managed by April Jones, Maurice Robinette, Henning Sehmsdorf, Brad Bailie, and Jim Baird. other WSU employees: Austin Lesure, Susan Wang, Bryan Carlson, Rachelle Greenwood, Eric Davidson, Nick Stansbury, Bertie Weddell, Roger Nelson, Andy Bary have all contributed to field and/or lab projects in 2011. TARGET AUDIENCES: This project is primarily targeted at organic farmers. Other producers and businesses involved in certifying carbon credits or sustainability measures will also use the outputs. PROJECT MODIFICATIONS: none
Impacts
This project is 1 year old and does not yet have outcomes and impacts to report.
Publications
- No publications reported this period
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