Possibilities for monitoring CO2 sequestration and decomposition of soil organic matter on dairy farms

Emissions and sequestration of carbon in soils are not yet accounted for in the carbon footprint of dairy farms. The purpose of this study is to develop a reliable and transparent monitoring and accounting system for soil carbon sequestration and emissions at dairy farms. The scientists worked with study groups of dairy farmers, data analysis and model development. A monitoring system based on measurements of OM contents in existing soil analyses is not supportive enough at present to reliably estimate carbon sequestration in soils. However, a monitoring system based on a combination of soil sampling analyses, registration of activities and model calculations of changes in soil carbon quantities is technically possible. The uncertainties in these calculations are currently still too large to link these to a reliable penalty or reward system at farm level.