Outside barns emissions can occur during manure storage, composting and field application. Reducing the amount of ammonia being emitted from dairy farms is a complex endeavor. Farms are economic enterprises and solutions need to meet their bottom line.

Biochar appears to modify soil pH, CEC and water holding capacity toward a more favorable environment for mycorrhizal colonization and activity. It seems to promote microbial populations, further stimulating mycorrhizal performance. Biochar may favorably influence the complex chemical communications between plants and mycorrhizae and may vitiate certain inhibitory compounds. Biochar’s myriad, tiny pores may serve as physical “shelters” for mycorrhizal hyphae and various symbiotic bacteria, protecting them from microbial predators.