Iszak Morgan '20

Research with David Harbor, Summer 2019

I spent the summer beginning research for my thesis regarding sustainable agricultural practices. Traditional agricultural grazing practices harm the atmosphere and decrease carbon storage in soil. New sustainable practices such as Adaptive Paddock Management (APM) are appearing to help the cause. APM is a way to rotate grazing animals producing healthier grazing habits for the ruminant and also the land. To test the potential for carbon sequestration, I have been working with a local farmer who has newly implemented this practice on his land. Using GIS software, the study area was broken up into different sampling areas. Soil cores were collected from these areas and were tested for organic carbon percentage using a loss on ignition method. These data show which areas of the land are high in carbon, and hopefully representative of a newly implemented successful agricultural practice. Further samples at the same locations will be collected in the future to show how carbon changes in time with respect to this practice. Ideally, the new sample data will provide evidence that further explains the connection between adaptive paddock management practices and carbon sequestration, allowing a sustainable land management practice to gain prevalence.

Support provided by the Geology Department and the R. Preston Hawkins IV Geology Fund.