**AWARDS ISSUED PRIOR TO JANUARY 20, 2025, WERE FUNDED UNDER PREVIOUS ADMINISTRATIONS AND MAY NOT REFLECT THE PRIORITIES AND POLICIES OF THE CURRENT ADMINISTRATION.** CHANGING CLIMATE RESULTING IN LOCALIZED EXTREME WEATHER IS CURRENTLY HARMING CROP PRODUCTION IN THE U.S AND IS PREDICTED TO CAUSE SOME REDUCTION OF CROP YIELD (UP TO 60 %) FOR MOST OF THE U.S. BY THE YEARS 2070-2100. SOIL CULTIVATION IS A KEY CONTRIBUTOR TO THE TOTAL GREENHOUSE GAS (GHG) EMISSIONS IN THE U.S (6%). CURRENTLY, THERE ARE LIMITED MEANS TO MITIGATE SOIL GHG EMISSIONS THAT ARE GEARED TO THE NEEDS OF SMALLER FARM OPERATIONS (68% OF OVERALL FARMS), WHERE CURRENTLY AVAILABLE GHG MONITORS ARE NOT COST-EFFECTIVE FOR SMALL-SCALE FARMING.A NOVEL APPROACH WILL AIM TO BRIDGE THIS KNOWLEDGE GAP IN GHG MANAGEMENT BY INTRODUCING A COMBINED APPROACH OF:A. DIRECT GHG MEASUREMENT THAT IS COST-EFFECTIVE USING OPEN-SOURCE SOIL-GHG READERB. RAPID AND COST-EFFECTIVE INDIRECT ESTIMATE OF SOIL GHG RELEASE POTENTIAL WITH SIMULATED THERMAL MODEL (STM) ANALYSISC. COMPREHENSIVE FARMERS OUTREACH PROGRAM THAT IS GEARED TO THE NEEDS OF SMALL FARMS OPERATIONS COVERING BEST MANAGEMENT RECOMMENDATION ANDCOST-EFFECTIVE GHG MONITORING APPROACHES, WITH A ROBUST ONLINE SELF-TRAINING AND PEERS SUPPORT COMPONENT.IN ORDER TO DEVELOP THESE MEANS TO MITIGATE SOIL GHG EMISSION, THE POSTDOCTORAL FELLOW WILL TRAIN IN CONDUCTING RELATED RESEARCH AND EXTENSION OUTREACH, AS WELL AS CREATE THE SEED OF FUTURE RESEARCH NEEDED FOR REDUCING GHG EMISSION FROM SMALL FARM OPERATIONS. RESEARCH ACTIVITIES FOR THIS TWO-YEAR POSTDOCTORAL FELLOWSHIP PROJECT WILL INCLUDE:A. MODEL SOIL GHG EMISSION TRIALB. FIELD SOIL EMISSION TRIAL.C. EVALUATING THE USE OF STM ANALYSIS TO PREDICT GHG EMISSION OF SOILS AND TO IDENTIFY LOW EMISSION FERTILIZERSD. DEVELOPMENT OF AN OPEN-SOURCE SOIL GHG-READER GEARED TO THE NEEDS OF SMALL FARM OPERATIONS.THESE WILL BE USED TO DETERMINE THE GHG EMISSION IMPACT OF DIFFERENT SOIL CULTIVATION PRACTICES SUCH AS TILLAGE, COVER CROP, NUTRITION MANAGEMENT, AND SOIL INOCULATION. FINDING FROM THE ANALYTICAL ANALYSIS OF SOIL GHG EMISSION WILL BE COMPARED TO OBSERVATIONS DERIVED FROM TWO NOVEL APPROACHES: STM ANALYSIS AND SOIL-GHG READER TO DETERMINE THEIR PERFORMANCE AS A TOOL TO ESTIMATE GHG EMISSION.OUTREACH ACTIVITIES FOLLOWING THE RESEARCH COMPONENT OF THE FELLOWSHIP WILL DEVELOP AND CONDUCT A SMALL FARM TRAINING PROGRAM ON HOW TO APPLY BEST MANAGEMENT PRACTICES TO REDUCE SOIL GHG EMISSION AND HOW TO EVALUATE FARM SOIL GHG EMISSION USING THE SOIL-GHG READER AND STM APPROACHES. AMENTORSHIP PROGRAM INTEGRATED INTO THIS PROPOSAL WILL SUPPORT THE POSTDOCTORAL FELLOW PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT THROUGH RESEARCH ADVISORY IN THE FIELD OF GHG RESEARCH, SOIL FERTILITY, AND CONDUCTING AGRICULTURAL OUTREACH PROGRAMS.