Project lead: Daniel McKay Fletcher, Scotland’s Rural College (SRUC)

Project members: Alexander Pirie, SAC; Steve Anthony, ADAS; Vera Eory, SRUC; Yang Lu, York St. John University

Project summary: Manure is a valuable resource for farmers as it provides a renewable source of organic fertiliser which increase yields and soil health. But manure can also be a significant source of greenhouse gases if poorly handled. It is estimated that around 16% of British agriculture’s global warming potential originates from manure emitting methane and nitrous oxide, both of which are potent greenhouse gases. The amount emitted depends largely on the temperature at which the manure is stored. Additionally, nitrogen can be lost in the form of ammonia gas (a pollutant that can damage ecosystems), reducing the fertility of the manure when applied to the field, often leading to over-use of synthetic fertiliser.

In this project we will develop a free web-application that provides farmers with personalised forecasts of gas emissions from manure using farm weather data.  This will enable effective decision-making by farmers to reduce emissions and increase manure fertility.