The proposed writing retreat aims to support the timely development of a manuscript summarizing recent findings on the application of soil amendments, such as compost, ground rock, and biochar to mitigate greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from silage crop systems in California dairy farms. This research addresses urgent climate challenges by evaluating the potential of nature-based solutions to reduce nitrous oxide (N₂O), methane (CH₄), and carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions while maintaining agricultural productivity. California's dairy sector is one of the largest in the world and a significant contributor to the state’s GHG emissions, especially through emissions from silage crop production and manure management. Our multi-year field experiments provide critical, empirical data on how amendment strategies can enhance soil carbon storage, reduce nitrogen losses, and support more sustainable nutrient cycling. The retreat will allow focused time for synthesizing these complex, interdisciplinary findings into a cohesive manuscript for submission to a peer-reviewed journal.

Approved