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ARS Home » Plains Area » Bushland, Texas » Conservation and Production Research Laboratory » Livestock Nutrient Management Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #242716
Title: Monthly, seasonal, and annual ammonia emissions from Southern High Plains cattle feedyards

Author
item Todd, Richard
item Cole, Noel
item RHOADES, MARTY - West Texas A & M University
item PARKER, DAVID - West Texas A & M University

Submitted to: American Chemical Society Abstracts
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 7/20/2009
Publication Date: 8/17/2009
Citation: Todd, R.W., Cole, N.A., Rhoades, M.B., Parker, D.B. 2009. Monthly, seasonal, and annual ammonia emissions from Southern High Plains cattle feedyards [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 2009 American Chemical Society annual meeting, August 17-20, 2009, Washington, D.C. Paper No. 210. 2009 CDROM.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Ammonia emitted from beef cattle feedyards adds excess reactive nitrogen to the environment and contributes to degraded air quality as a precursor to secondary particulate matter. Accurate ammonia emissions are required because, beginning in 2009, most feedyards are required by the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-know Act to report their ammonia emissions. Atmospheric ammonia concentration and meteorological variables, continuously measured for two years, were coupled with an inverse dispersion model to estimate ammonia emissions from two cattle feedyards on the Southern High Plains. Additional data on feedyard cattle populations, feed intake, and feed nitrogen content were collected from records supplied by the feedyards and from analyzed feed samples. Mean monthly, seasonal and annual per capita ammonia emissions are reported. Annually, from 36% to 56% of fed nitrogen was lost as ammonia. Management differences at the two feedyards contributed to differing ammonia emissions, with nitrogen content of feed a strong determinant of emissions.