Open Lot Dairy Ammonia Losses and Nitrogen Balance: A New Mexico Study
Channel: Livestock & Poultry Environ. Learning Community
Date: 2015-05-11

Full proceedings at: http://www.extension.org/72863 Animal agriculture is a significant source of ammonia (NH3). Dairy cattle excrete most ingested nitrogen (N); most urinary N is converted to NH3, volatilized and lost to the atmosphere. This fugitive NH3 can contribute to negative environmental effects such as degraded air quality and excessive N in ecosystems. Open lot dairies on the southern High Plains are a growing industry and face challenges that include reporting requirements for NH3 emissions and potential regulation. However, producers and regulators lack a clear quantitative understanding of NH3 losses from the open lot production system.