# 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.

The Balance of Health
Canonical: https://thebalanceofhealth.com/claims/grass-fed-beef-remains-high-impact
Licence: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

## status

reviewed

## id

claim-grass-fed-beef-still-high-impact

## slug

grass-fed-beef-remains-high-impact

## statement

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.

## shortAnswer

Better, in some ways, but not low-impact. Soil carbon gains are real, limited, and temporary.

## pillarIds

- environment

## topicIds

- climate
- land-use

## keyStatisticId

stat-grazing-carbon-offset-share

## 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.

## rating

### strength

moderate

### rationale

The direction is well supported by reviews, but soil carbon estimates carry wide uncertainty and depend on local conditions.

## sourceIds

- src-garnett-2017-grazed-confused
- src-cusack-2021-grazing

## 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.

## Original sources

## title

Grazed and Confused? Ruminating on cattle, grazing systems, methane, nitrous oxide, the soil carbon sequestration question

## url

https://www.oxfordmartin.ox.ac.uk/publications/grazed-and-confused

## doi



## canonical

https://thebalanceofhealth.com/sources/garnett-2017-grazed-and-confused

## status

reviewed
## title

Reducing climate impacts of beef production: a synthesis of life cycle assessments across management systems and global regions

## url

https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.15509

## doi

10.1111/gcb.15509

## canonical

https://thebalanceofhealth.com/sources/cusack-2021-reducing-climate-impacts-of-beef-production

## status

reviewed