The effectiveness of nitrogen fertilizer in maximizing agricultural production and increasing economic returns for farmers has led to its widespread use. However, when this element is applied to a farming system, it can enter the surrounding environment via atmospheric, surface and leaching pathways. Consultants, extension agents, farmers, and other stakeholders need tools than can be used to quickly calculate the risk of nitrogen movement into the environment. The Nitrogen Index can assist users in making these assessments by integrating data on a series of management practices, weather conditions, soil characteristics and off-site factors. This tool has been tested using data from different agroecosystems across the United States, China, Mexico, Argentina, a Mediterranean region in Spain, and the Caribbean. It has performed well in comparing the effects of different management practices on nitrogen losses by distinguishing practices with high and very high risk levels from practices with medium, low and very low risk levels.

This dataset compiled the emergy tables of different unit processes used in in struvite production and DAP production. This dataset is associated with the following publication: Theregowda, R., A. González-Mejía, C. Ma, and J. Garland. Nutrient recovery from municipal wastewater for sustainable food production systems: An alternative to traditional fertilizers.. ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING SCIENCE. Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., Larchmont, NY, USA, 36(7): 833-842, (2019).

Note: Updates to this data product are discontinued. The underlying information is available from the U.S. Department of Commerce, Foreign Trade Division. This system provides annual data on U.S. imports and exports of selected fertilizer types. These data are based on U.S. Merchandise Imports and Exports, released monthly by the U.S. Department of Commerce, Foreign Trade Division. The data reported here cover imports from 1995 to 2012 and exports from 1990 to 2012 for 26 major fertilizer products and materials, and for 82 major trading countries.

This product summarizes fertilizer consumption in the United States by plant nutrient and major fertilizer products—as well as consumption of mixed fertilizers, secondary nutrients, and micronutrients—for 1960 through the latest year for which statistics are available. The share of planted crop acreage receiving fertilizer, and fertilizer applications per receiving acre (by nutrient), are presented for major producing States for corn, cotton, soybeans, and wheat (data on nutrient consumption by crop start in 1964). Fertilizer farm prices and indices of wholesale fertilizer prices are also available.

GRACEnet (Greenhouse gas Reduction through Agricultural Carbon Enhancement network) is a research program initiated in the early 2000s . Goals are to better quantify greenhouse gas GHG emissions from cropped and grazed soils under current management practices and to identify and further develop improved management practices that will enhance carbon (C) sequestration in soils, decrease GHG emissions, promote sustainability and provide a sound scientific basis for carbon credits and GHG trading programs. This program generates information that is needed by agro-ecosystem modelers, producers, program managers and policy makers. Coordinated multi-location field studies follow standardized protocols to compare net GHG emissions (carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide, methane), C sequestration, crop/forge yields, and broad environmental benefits under different management systems that: Typify existing production practices Maximize C sequestration Minimize net GHG emissions Meet sustainable production and broad environmental benefit goals (including C sequestration, net GHG emissions, water, air and soil quality, etc.)

Greenhouse Gas Study for Greenhouse gas Reduction through Agricultural Carbon Enhancement network in Bowling Green, Kentucky Alternative N fertilizers that produce low greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from soil are needed to reduce the impacts of agricultural practices on global warming potential (GWP). We quantified and compared growing season fluxes of N2O, CH4, and CO2resulting from applications of different N fertilizer sources, urea (U), urea-ammonium nitrate (UAN), ammonium nitrate (NH4 NO3), poultry litter, and commercially available, enhanced-efficiency N fertilizers as follows: polymer-coated urea (ESN), SuperU, UAN + AgrotainPlus, and poultry litter + AgrotainPlus in a no-till corn (Zea maysL.) production system. Greenhouse gas fluxes were measured during two growing seasons using static, vented chambers. The ESN delayed the N2O flux peak by 3 to 4 wk compared with other N sources. No significant differences were observed in N2O emissions among the enhanced-efficiency and traditional inorganic N sources, except for ESN in 2009. Cumulative growing season N2O emission from poultry litter was significantly greater than from inorganic N sources. The N2O loss (2-yr average) as a percentage of N applied ranged from 0.69% for SuperU to 4.5% for poultry litter. The CH4–C and CO2–C emissions were impacted by environmental factors, such as temperature and moisture, more than the N source. There was no significant difference in corn yield among all N sources in both years. Site specifics and climate conditions may be responsible for the differences among the results of this study and some of the previously published studies. Our results demonstrate that N fertilizer source and climate conditions need conideration when selecting N sources to reduce GHG emissions.

Nitrogen Rate Study for Greenhouse gas Reduction through Agricultural Carbon Enhancement network in Fort Collins, Colorado Nitrogen fertilization is essential for optimizing crop yields; however, it increases N2O emissions. These emissions were monitored from several irrigated cropping systems receiving N fertilizer rates ranging from 0-246 kg/ha from years 2002-2006. Cropping systems included conventional-till continuous corn and no-till continuous corn at varying N rates. Nitrous oxide fluxes were measured during four growing seasons using static, vented chambers and a gas chromatograph analyzer. This work shows that the use of no-till can potentially reduce N2O emissions from irrigated systems and increase soil carbon storage.

Nitrogen Source Study for Greenhouse gas Reduction through Agricultural Carbon Enhancement network in Fort Collins, Colorado Nitrogen fertilization is essential for optimizing crop yields; however, it increases N2O emissions. The study objective was to compare N2O emissions resulting from application of commercially available enhanced-effi ciency N fertilizers with emissions from conventional dry granular urea in irrigated cropping systems. These emissions were monitored from several irrigated cropping systems receiving N fertilizer rates ranging from 0-246 kg/ha from years 2007-2008 with intermediate rates of 157 kg/ha applied to the barley crop in corn-barley rotation and 56 kg/ha applied to the dry bens in the corn-dry bean rotation. Cropping systems included conventional-till continuous corn (CT-CC), no-till continuous corn (NT-CC), no-till corn–dry bean (NT-CDb), and no-till corn–barley (NT-CB). Nitrous oxide fluxes were measured during ten growing seasons using static, vented chambers and a gas chromatograph analyzer. This work shows that the use of no-till and enhanced-effi ciency N fertilizers can potentially reduce N2O emissions from irrigated systems.

Nitrogen Source Study for Greenhouse gas Reduction through Agricultural Carbon Enhancement network in Mandan, North Dakota Use of dietary amendments to reduce nitrogen (N) in excreta represents a possible strategy to decrease greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from livestock. In this regard, ingestion of small amounts of condensed quebracho tannin has been found to reduce N concentration in livestock urine. In this study, we sought to quantify the effects of tannin-affected cattle urine, normal cattle urine, and NH4NO3 in solution on greenhouse gas flux. Carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), and nitrous oxide (N2O) flux was measured using static chamber methodology from the three N treatments and a no application control over a six-week period in a mixed grass prairie in west-central North Dakota, USA. Over the course of the study, average CO2 emission was greatest from normal urine (335 ± 8 mg C m-2 hr-1) and least from the control (229 ± 19 mg C m-2 hr-1), with intermediate fluxes for the tannin urine and NH4NO3 treatments (290 ± 27 and 286 ± 54 mg C m-2 hr-1, respectively). Methane uptake was prevalent throughout the study, as soil conditions were predominantly warm and dry. Uptake of CH4 was greatest within the control (-30 ± 2 µg C m-2 hr-1) and least in the tannin urine treatment (-12 ± 4 µg C m-2 hr-1). Uptake of CH4 was over 40% less within the tannin urine treatment as compared to normal urine, and may have been repressed by the capacity of tannin to bind monooxygenases responsible for CH4 oxidation. Average N2O emission from NH4NO3 solution was more than twice that of all other treatments. Though the tannin urine treatment possessed 34% less N than normal cattle urine, cumulative N2O emission between the treatments did not differ. Results from this study suggest the use of condensed quebracho tannin as a dietary amendment for livestock does not yield GHG mitigation benefits in the short-term.

Quick Stats is the National Agricultural Statistics Service's (NASS) online, self-service tool to access complete results from the 1997, 2002, 2007, and 2012 Censuses of Agriculture as well as the best source of NASS survey published estimates. The census collects data on all commodities produced on U.S. farms and ranches, as well as detailed information on expenses, income, and operator characteristics. The surveys that NASS conducts collect information on virtually every facet of U.S. agricultural production.

Quick Stats API is the programmatic interface to the National Agricultural Statistics Service's (NASS) online database containing results from the 1997, 2002, 2007, and 2012 Censuses of Agriculture as well as the best source of NASS survey published estimates. The census collects data on all commodities produced on U.S. farms and ranches, as well as detailed information on expenses, income, and operator characteristics. The surveys that NASS conducts collect information on virtually every facet of U.S. agricultural production.