While animal agriculture is often a target in the climate change battle, recent research shows livestock could play an important role in reducing CO2 emissions.

“Regenerative agriculture” or “carbon farming” is the practice of raising livestock or crops in a way that sequesters carbon and maximizes soil health. This can include no-till, cover crops, crop rotations, using fewer chemicals and fertilizers, and incorporating rotational livestock grazing. Soils are a natural carbon vacuum, since plants absorb CO2 as they grow and push extra carbon into the dirt through their roots.

For livestock farmers, carbon sequestration usually focuses on rotational grazing. Animals are frequently moved between paddocks with time between grazings built in for plant recovery. The more green matter a plant grows, the more sunlight it can process through photosynthesis and the longer its roots will be. Rotational grazing mimics the way that herds of bison migrated through North America’s grasslands centuries ago. As herds graze, manure and plant matter are trampled into the ground where they break down and enrich the soil’s network of microbial life. Increasing the carbon content of soil can aid plant growth, increase organic matter in soil, increase water retention capability, and ultimately can mean the soil requires less fertilizer.