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Dry livestock tanks show the effect of drought in Schulenberg, TX on Aug. 23, 2013. USDA photo by Bob Nichols.

Air Quality

The NRCS helps private landowners conserve our natural resources, which includes air quality resource concerns.  

NRCS Air Quality and Atmospheric Change

NRCS helps private landowners conserve our natural resources, and air resources are among those. Our Air Quality resource concerns can be broadly classified into five air quality and atmospheric change issues:   

  • Particulate matter
  • Ozone precursors
  • Odor
  • Greenhouse gases and carbon sequestration
  • Airborne reactive nitrogen

For each of these major issues the latest science and the most relevant technical tools are being applied so that NRCS personnel, cooperators and landowners can make the best decisions regarding air resources.

Reference Guides

NRCS and EPA have released the Agricultural Air Quality Conservation Measures: Reference Guide for Poultry and Livestock Operations. This guide provides information about NRCS conservation practices and other activities that can be used to address air resource concerns associated with animal production. Developed as a non-regulatory technical tool, the guide describes different conservation measures that have been successfully demonstrated to reduce emissions of various air pollutants on farms. It is a companion to the previously-released Agricultural Air Quality Conservation Measures: Reference Guide for Cropping Systems and General Land Management.

Agricultural Air Quality Conservation Measures: Reference Guide for Poultry and Livestock Operations (3.14 MB)
Agricultural Air Quality Conservation Measures: Reference Guide for Cropping Systems and General Land Management (895.98 KB)

Related Pages

Initiative

Air Quality Initiative

The NRCS National Air Quality Initiative helps agricultural producers meet air quality compliance requirements by providing technical and financial assistance for improving agricultural operations.

Dry livestock tanks show the effect of drought in Schulenberg, TX on Aug. 23, 2013. USDA photo by Bob Nichols.

USDA Agricultural Air Quality Task Force

Created by the 1996 Farm Bill, the USDA Task Force on Agricultural Air Quality Research promotes USDA research efforts and identifies cost-effective ways the agriculture industry can improve air quality.

Topics
Air