Claim
Well-managed grazing can store some carbon in soil, but not enough to offset cattle's own emissions, and grass-fed beef generally has higher emissions per kg than grain-finished beef.
Better, in some ways, but not low-impact. Soil carbon gains are real, limited, and temporary.
- Last reviewed
- Reviewer
- Editorial placeholder
- Status
- sample
Sample data. The figures and sources on this page are demonstration records showing how evidence will be presented. They are approximate and have not yet been through our review process. Read about how we will verify evidence.
Why this rating: The direction is well supported by reviews, but soil carbon estimates carry wide uncertainty and depend on local conditions.
Supported by good-quality studies that point the same way, but with gaps: fewer studies, mostly observational data, or some inconsistency.
Explanation
Grazing cattle live longer and grow more slowly than grain-finished cattle, so they emit more methane per kilogram of meat.
Grassland soils can gain carbon under good management, but the gain saturates after a few decades and can be lost again if management changes.
Limitations
- Some specific systems on degraded land may perform better than averages suggest.
Methodology
- Synthesis of life-cycle assessments and soil carbon studies across grazing systems.
Sources for this claim
Each source links to our record of what it found, its limitations and what we used it for, with a link to the original.
- 1Grazed and Confused? Ruminating on cattle, grazing systems, methane, nitrous oxide, the soil carbon sequestration question
Tara Garnett, Cécile Godde, et al. (2017). Food Climate Research Network, University of Oxford.
- 2Reducing climate impacts of beef production: a synthesis of life cycle assessments across management systems and global regions
Daniela Cusack, et al. (2021). Global Change Biology.