When Americans think of reducing emissions, our first thought usually has to do with factories pumping out black smoke. But,as the Energy Collective notes,agriculture is actually responsible for between 14 and 18 percent of overall greenhouse gas emissions in the United States.
And here on the High Plains, farmers and ranchers can all do their part to reduce America’s carbon footprint.
Ag operations can produce greenhouse gases in unexpected ways. For example, slaughtering just one animal can use up to 132 gallons of water. And that water has to be pumped to the slaughterhouse. And those pumps run on electricity, which runs on fossil fuels. Reducing the amount of water used will reduce greenhouse gases.
And for farmers, not cultivating dirt before planting seeds can help the atmosphere. Doubling the acreage that is no-till in America could save up to 217 million gallons of diesel fuel a year.