Agriculture is an important source of greenhouse gases (GHG), especially from crop production practices
and enteric fermentation by ruminant livestock. Improved production practices in agriculture and
increase in terrestrial carbon sinks are alternatives for mitigating GHG emissions in agriculture. The objective
of this study was to estimate GHG emissions from hypothetical farm enterprise combinations in
the southeastern United States with a mix of cropland and livestock production and estimate the area
of forest plantation necessary to offset these emissions. Four different farm enterprise combinations (Cotton;
Maize; Peanut; Wheat + Livestock + Forest) with different production practices were considered in the
study resulting in different emission scenarios. We assumed typical production practices of farm operations
in the region with 100 ha of cropland area and a herd of 50 cows. GHG emissions were calculated
regarding production, storage and transportation of agrochemicals (pre-farm) and farm activities such
as fertilization, machinery operation and irrigation (on-farm). Simulated total farm GHG emissions for
the different farm enterprise combinations and production practices ranged from 348.8 t CO2e year−1 to
765.6 t CO2e year−1. The estimated forest area required to neutralize these emissions ranged from 19 ha
to 40 ha. In general, enterprise combinations with more intense production practices that include the
use of irrigation resulted in higher total emissions but lower emissions per unit of commodity produced.