On-farm research has confirmed that ruminant animals grazing on the land benefit the environment and improve carbon cycling.
The findings are the result of an five year research alliance between animal science company Alltech and the Archbold conservation organisation, which jointly created a model to estimate the carbon footprint of Archbold's Buck Island Ranch at Lake Placid in central Florida.
Researchers found the 4250 hectare (10,500 acre) cattle property and its almost 3000 cattle sequester more carbon each year than it emits, creating a net-carbon sink.
Importantly, the results confirmed that carbon-neutral - and even net-positive - beef production is not only possible at Buck Island, but the same potential is likely to be able to be repeated around the world.
Archbold agroecology director Dr Betsey Boughton said, on average, 1090 tonnes of CO2 equivalent were sequested annually at Buck Island Ranch.
"All of this work is scaleable to other parts of the world," Dr Boughton said.
"The narrative people have heard is that cows are bad for the environment, but grazing animals can actually change the function of grasslands.
Cows are eating the grass and not allowing as much decomposition to happen on the ground. Without cows, we actually see more carbon emitted.
- Dr Betsey Boughton, agroecology director, Archbold
"Cows are eating the grass and not allowing as much decomposition to happen on the ground.
"Without cows, we actually see more carbon emitted."
Buck Island Ranch was also one of the locations visited on the recent Alltech Lienert Australia US beef tour.
The Australian tour group led by Alltech Lienert nutrition specialist Toby Doak saw firsthand how a science-driven approach to sustainability was very successfully guiding the management of semi-native grassland and improved pasture property.
The internationally recognised ranch is also notable for hosting the very first US Roundtable For Sustainable Beef in 2014.
Alltech president and CEO Dr Mark Lyons said the research findings demonstrated agriculture's great potential to positively shape the future of the planet.
"These exciting findings at Archbold's Buck Island Ranch prove that we capture more carbon when cows are grazing the land. That is profoundly powerful," Dr Lyons said.
To showcase the work, an six-part Alltech Planet of Plenty video series has been released.
The videos explore the cattle grazing carbon cycle, the role of carbon sequestration in mitigating climate change and other insights the research alliance has unveiled.
The Alltech-Archbold strategic research alliance was formed in 2019 to jointly develop on-farm management approaches, specifically to increase the quality and quantity of beef produced in subtropical regions while maintaining and enhancing the environment.
The alliance brought together ecologists from Archbold and ruminant nutritionists from Alltech to understand the impact that cattle production had on the Buck Island ecosystem and the ability to sequester carbon.
Dr Boughton said although complex, agriculture could be one of the most powerful weapons in the fight against climate change.
"This collaboration has discovered a deeper understanding of the grazing-cattle carbon cycle, one that is not solely focused on greenhouse gas emissions from the animal but also on natural GHG emissions from the land and the sequestration of carbon in the soil," Dr Boughton said.
"Discussions around GHGs and global warming often centre around agriculture emissions, but it is important to think beyond emissions and look at the full cycle."
Alltech's Crop Science division and R&D company Ideagro are also studying how microbial populations can enrich soil chemistry and nutrient density, leading to increased carbon sequestration in the soil.
