Nevada Statewide Greenhouse Gas Emissions Inventory and Projections
Nevada Statewide Greenhouse Gas Emissions Inventory and Projections, 1990 to 2030
8.
8.1
Agricultural Sector Emissions
Overview
This section reports CH4 and N2O emissions from agricultural activities in Nevada. Several processes are
considered in the agricultural sector, but in this report they are generally categorized as enteric
fermentation, management of livestock manure, management of agricultural soils, and agricultural
residue burning. Enteric fermentation produces CH4 and is a natural product of animal digestion;
ruminants (four-stomached mammals such as cattle, sheep, and goats) are particularly high CH4 emitters
because of their unique digestive process. Livestock manure (i.e., animal waste) produces both CH4 and
N₂O during the manure's natural decomposition process. Agricultural soils emissions are the result of
the release of N2O. This occurs through three main pathways; 1, direct emissions due to the harvesting
of plants; 2, direct and indirect emissions from fertilizer application; and 3, direct and indirect emissions
due to animal waste in pastures, ranges, and paddocks. Finally, agricultural residue burning emissions
(both CH4 and N2O) are the result of burning crop wastes.
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Depending on their source, emissions associated with energy production for use in the agricultural
sector are split between Section 3: Electricity Generation and Section 5: Residential, Commercial, and
Industrial Sectors. Emissions from the combustion of fossil fuels used in agricultural equipment are
included in Section 4: Transportation. The SIT methodologies were used to estimate GHG emissions.
Emissions were estimated by relating estimated livestock populations, crop production, and fertilizer
use with process specific emission factors. The sources of the dataset used to estimate agricultural
sector GHG emissions are summarized in Table 8-1.
Process
Table 8-1: Sources Used to Estimate Agricultural Sector GHG Emissions
Source
Reference
8.2
Emission factors
Livestock population data
Crop production data
Fertilizer use data
- SIT
- National Agriculture Statistics Service of
the USDA
National Agriculture Statistics Service of
the USDA
The Association of American Plant Food
Control Officials (AAPFCO) via the SIT
Historical Emissions
https://www.nass.usda.gov/Quick_Stats/
https://www.nass.usda.gov/Quick_Stats/
http://www.aapfco.org/
Nevada's agricultural sector is a minor source of the state's GHG emissions. Historical agricultural
emissions peaked in 2001 with 1.702 MMTCO2eq and this is due largely to emissions from enteric
fermentation also peaking in 2001; sector emissions have been in slow decline since. Table 8-2 shows
the agricultural sector emissions broken down by sub-sector. Total 2013 agricultural sector emissions
were estimated to be 1.436 MMTCO2eq. Overall, emissions from enteric fermentation accounted for
roughly 58 percent of total sector emissions; agricultural soil management (including synthetic and
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The process of agricultural residue burning releases CO2 as well as CH and N₂O, but in accordance with
international GHG accounting guidelines, the SIT Agriculture module does not include CO2 emissions from crop
residue burning.
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