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Ammonia emissions from dairy production in Wisconsin¹

L. A. Harper^*,2, T. K. Flesch, J. M. Powell, W. K. Coblentz, W. E. Jokela and N. P. Martin

^* Department of Poultry Science, University of Georgia, Athens 30602
Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada T6G 2E3
Dairy Forage Research Center, USDA-ARS, Madison, 53706 WI
Dairy Forage Research Center, USDA-ARS, Marshfield, 54449 WI

² Corresponding author: lharper{at}uga.edu

Ammonia gas is the only significant basic gas that neutralizes atmospheric acid gases produced from combustion of fossil fuels. This reaction produces an aerosol that is a component of atmospheric haze, is implicated in nitrogen (N) deposition, and may be a potential human health hazard. Because of the potential impact of NH₃ emissions, environmentally and economically, the objective of this study was to obtain representative and accurate NH₃ emissions data from large dairy farms (>800 cows) in Wisconsin. Ammonia concentrations and climatic measurements were made on 3 dairy farms during winter, summer, and autumn to calculate emissions using an inverse-dispersion analysis technique. These study farms were confinement systems utilizing freestall housing with nearby sand separators and lagoons for waste management. Emissions were calculated from the whole farm including the barns and any waste management components (lagoons and sand separators), and from these components alone when possible. During winter, the lagoons’ NH₃ emissions were very low and not measurable. During autumn and summer, whole-farm emissions were significantly larger than during winter, with about two-thirds of the total emissions originating from the waste management systems. The mean whole-farm NH₃ emissions in winter, autumn, and summer were 1.5, 7.5, and 13.7% of feed N inputs emitted as NH₃-N, respectively. Average annual emission comparisons on a unit basis between the 3 farms were similar at 7.0, 7.5, and 8.4% of input feed N emitted as NH₃-N, with an annual average for all 3 farms of 7.6 ± 1.5%. These winter, summer, autumn, and average annual NH₃ emissions are considerably smaller than currently used estimates for dairy farms, and smaller than emissions from other types of animal-feeding operations.

Key Words: ammonia • emissions • dairy • nitrogen

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