Not all crops are harvested equal. Nutrient cycling—the transfer of nutrients from the atmosphere, additives, or the soil into plants and back again—has a profound impact on the final product: the crops at harvest. What can farmers do to grow the most nutrient-dense crops possible? Listen in as Joy Youwakim, a soil scientist currently working as a farmer and an agroecology scientist at Biome Makers, sheds light on the pivotal role of soil testing, microbes, and management practices in nutrient cycling and, ultimately, the production of more nutritious crops. Curious about carbon and ecosystem ..read more

Farm data include yields, inputs, soil tests, machinery data, and business info. Keeping it all current and in ship-shape can be tough, but data are becoming a more and more powerful tools every day for you to document and communicate the value of your on-farm practices. Listen in as Ben Craker, a Portfolio Manager at AgGateway and president of the Ag Data Coalition, walks us through best practices for farm data, whether you’re an old hand at managing your archives or just thinking about ways to get the collection into good shape. Curious about carbon and ecosystem services and want to le ..read more

When we talk about carbon markets, "additionality" is one of those terms that's tough to avoid. But what is additionality? And what does it mean when it comes to agricultural carbon?  Join us as Scott Gerlt, chief economist at the American Soybean Association, serves up the answers. Scott breaks down what additionality is, what it looks like on the farm, and why it matters for producers and markets alike.  Have a question you want our experts to answer? Drop us a line at info@decode6.org.  If you want to learn more about carbon and ecosystem services, visit Decode 6 for mor ..read more

Say you're ready to commit to a carbon program. But before you declare "love at first sight" and sign on the dotted line, there are a few questions you should ask. Join us as Chad Hart, a professor of economics at Iowa State University, walks us through the four questions you need to ask before signing a carbon contract.  Curious about carbon and ecosystem service markets and want to learn more?  Check out Decode 6. We're you're source of unbiased, scientific, accessible information about carbon and ecosystem services ..read more

If you care about something, you measure it. Just as doctors recommend annual checkups, soil scientists recommend measuring soil health. But it's one thing to take samples in a single field--how do you measure soil health at scale? Dr. Cristine Morgan, Chief Scientific Officer at the Soil Health Institute, is here with the answers. Cristine talks through the soil health indicators you should measure, how you can do that over large areas, and how often you should measure to get accurate, helpful results. Want to learn more? Check out our website, decode6.org.  If you have a question about ..read more

Agricultural soils hold great potential for sequestering carbon and improving soil health in the process. But how do you measure soil carbon?  Dr. Jason Ackerson, a Research Soil Scientist at the Soil Health Institute, is here with the answers. In this episode, Jason talks us through sampling soil to get a baseline measurement of soil carbon stocks. He talks through the measurements you should take, planning your sampling setup, and keeping track of your data.  Want to learn more? Check out our website, decode6.org. If you have a question about carbon or ecosystem services, ask ..read more

We’ve talked a lot about big changes on the horizon for dairy production in the last few episodes. This week, we’re digging into some practical on-farm tweaks dairy farmers can make to instantly impact their sustainability. Listen in as Tara Vander Dussen, a fifth generation dairy farmer and environmental scientist, talks us through hands-on sustainability tweaks for dairy farms. Water, electricity, and manure management are all candidates for small changes that can make big impacts to the whole farm’s overall environmental impact. Curious about carbon and ecosystem services and want to l ..read more

Anaerobic digesters turn manure and other organic waste products into biogas and "digestate," a nutrient-rich product that farmers can use to add nutrients to fields. Digesters get a lot of hype, but how do they work? And when are they economical choices for dairy farms to install? Listen in as Lauren Ray, an agricultural sustainability and energy engineer at Cornell CALS PRO-DAIRY, walks us through how digesters work and when they break even for farms that install them. As a bonus, she'll also describe the top things you should ask if you're thinking about working with a developer to install ..read more

A new feed additive is in the regulatory pipeline in the United States, well on its way to FDA clearance. It's called 3-NOP, and it's already in use in Europe under the name Bovear. This feed additive for dairy and beef cattle can cut enteric methane emissions by as much as 30%, and can make dairy and beef producers eligible for carbon markets. But how do feed additives like 3-NOP work? And are they cost effective? Listen in as Dr. Ermias Kebreab, a professor at University of California Davis and Director of CA&ES at the World Food Center, gives us an overview of how feed additives work, t ..read more

When we think about emissions from dairy and livestock emissions, cow burps are at the top of the list. Those burps release methane, a greenhouse gas with 28 times the global warming potential of carbon dioxide. Today, we're breaking down how enteric methane is formed in the guts of ruminant livestock, and new technologies that are helping us cut emissions.   Listen in as Dr. Sara Place, an associate professor of feedlot systems at Colorado State University AgNext, describes how enteric methane forms and ways we can reduce emissions.  Curious about carbon and ecosystem serv ..read more