WESTI Ag Days: Getting more carbon in the soil, good for the environment

WORLAND - When one thinks of a carbon footprint, thoughts of oil and gas usually come to mind, not cattle grazing, but that is exactly what was discussed during a WESTI Ag Days presentation last week in Worland.

Washakie County Extension Educator Caitlin Youngquist, Chris Mejus of the Western Sustainability Exchange and Montana ranchers Roger and Bonnie Indreland discussed carbon sequestration and the carbon market available in Montana through Native Energy.

According to the Native Energy website, soil carbon sequestration, "is the process through which [carbon dioxide] is removed from the atmosphere and stored in the soil. The process is primarily mediated by plants which absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere during photosynthesis; some of this carbon is eventually stored as soil organic carbon. Human activities affect this process, leading to carbon loss or improved storage.

"Soil carbon storage is a vital ecosystem service. With modern agriculture and land use as the second largest contributors to global greenhouse gas emissions, right behind energy production, farms are on the front line of climate change."

Washakie County Extension Educator Caitlin Youngquist said, "Getting more things growing gets carbon out of the atmosphere and into the soil where it can be productive" by increasing microbial activity in the soil.

"As you increase your microbial activity and your organic carbon in the soil it helps a lot with dealing with salts, sodiums and stabilizes your soil," she said.

Typically in the Big Horn Basin, Youngquist said there is less than 1 percent soil organic matter.

Mike Baker of Thermopolis said he increased his soil organic matter from .8 percent to 2.5 percent by reducing tillage and increasing photosynthesis.

When asked about the difference in soil organic matter between irrigated agriculture land and badlands, Youngquist said the cheatgrass in the badlands "has really screwed up our whole carbon and nutrient cycling system" due its short root system.

The presenters said there are five main principles to improve soil organic matter - maintain soil cover for 12 months, minimize soil disturbance, maintaining living roots, encourage biodiversity and integrate grazing animals.

Youngquist said instead of tilling up the land right after harvesting, farmers can water the land and get some cover on the soil, which in turn gets more carbon in the soil.

Mehus noted that cycles cannot be complete without integration of grazing animals. Grazing stimulates the plans to grow more and creates more nutrients.

He said some people do not like it when he says you cannot overgraze a piece of ground if you graze in a small area in a short timeframe and allow enough time for the plants to rest.

Mehus said some ranchers move their cows once a day or several times a day to improve carbon sequestration. Moving them frequently helps promote non-selective grazing so the cattle feed on all the plants not on just a few types.

He said, "To improve soil health increase the level of life underground so we create a larger carbon sink. More life in the soil means less carbon in the atmosphere."

He said ag producers were the original environmentalists, taking care of the land. He said ag producers today need to change their message.

"We need to start putting a different message out there to people about what it is that we are doing. We are growing food for the world, but more importantly we are caring for the environment."

CARBON CREDIT

As for the carbon credit, Mehus said, "The ability to sell part of that life in the soil to a consumer that wants to purchase that. We basically are creating a commodity out of this carbon that you can sell in addition to the things you are producing on your farm and ranch."

He said producers can't get paid for something they are already doing. It needs to be motivated by creating more life and biology in the soil.

Creating more life in the soil must be done from a change in management.

Western Sustainability Exchange has a program called the Montana Grasslands Carbon Initiative. According to the WSE website, "Soil health is essential for healthy habitat, and soil carbon is critical for soil health. WSE's Montana Grasslands Carbon Initiative investigates and promotes ways gardeners, farmers, and ranchers can create healthy soil by increasing its carbon content through the use of regenerative agricultural practices.

"The benefits of soil carbon extend beyond water resources, agriculture production, and wildlife habitat. Many companies value the environmental services of soil carbon, because it's composed of carbon that's been pulled from the atmosphere and sequestered in the soil through photosynthesis. A growing number of companies voluntarily purchase carbon credits to offset their own carbon emissions caused primarily by fossil fuels used in their business operations.

"WSE is partnering with carbon credit provider, Native Energy, to create a program that will pay ranchers and other land stewards for sequestering carbon on grasslands through regenerative grazing practices."