Co-authored by Pinion
The use and production of fertilizer in agriculture is a significant contributor to greenhouse gas emissions and a major cause of pollution in the nation’s rivers and lakes. Agriculture is the largest global source of nitrogen pollution, and annual damages from nitrogen pollution are estimated to exceed $200 billion in the US. Enhancing nitrogen use efficiency and optimizing application techniques is essential to reducing these impacts.
While there are substantial environmental benefits to reducing or optimizing fertilizer use, there are also considerable financial benefits to farmers, especially when fertilizer costs are high, as they were over the last few years. Fertilizer accounts for nearly one-fifth of US farm operating costs and over one-third of farm operating costs for corn production. Conversely, the USDA estimates that the potential benefit for…
Read the full article originally published at blogs.edf.org.