As a fifth generation cattleman being actively engaged in conservation has become second nature to me.  With all the misinformation out there about cattle’s affect on global warming, I would like to share what it is that I do on a day to day basis, and the how and why it works.

In this green era that we all live in today, everybody is now well aware of solar energy.  My family has been in the solar business for a long time.  Ya see our pastures are just one big solar panel.  The grass captures the sunlight and through photosynthesis that solar energy is stored in the grass.  Due to its total ground covering, an acre of grass captures more sunlight than any other crop.

Now this crop of grass is useless to us as humans.  This is where the cow comes into play.  She is a self propelled energy converter.  She harvests the grass and transforms that energy into something we can use, pounds of beef, or a weaned calf.  So what does this have to do with combating global warming?  Keep reading with this picture in the back of your mind.

There are some of us graziers that believe grass can help save the planet.  Alan Yeoman pointed out that if all the Carbon were to be precipitated out of the air, it would form a layer  about the thickness of cigarette paper.  Now in good soil, with 10% organic matter, that carbon layer would be 3/8 of an inch thick.  That is 100 times greater than all the atmospheric carbon released by all of man’s industrial activities.

This is where my grass and cow come into play.  When grass grows tall its root grows long.  The cow comes along and eats off the top of that grass.  This causes “grass shock” or carbon sequestration.  That is when the roots die back leaving carbon in the soil in the residue of those dead roots.  This is the fastest known way to build up organic matter.  Another way cattle help build up organic matter is by their sharp hooves pushing dead plant matter into the soil.  The more organic matter in the soil the faster the cycle moves to grow more grass.

Another benefit to organic matter is it is mother nature’s soil sponge.  It can absorb rain fall and release it during dry spells.  This is why no-till farming has become so popular. (no-till also cuts down on the amount of fuel we burn)  The organic matter comes from the crop residue that is left behind after harvest.  My dad bought a farm several years ago that had been conventional farmed for many decades.  We started using our no-till method on that farm right away.  In just a few short years we can see an improvement in the soil and in the crops.

Now I know a lot of people will be quick to point out that the problem isn’t the cattle on pasture it is the cattle in the feedlot.  I also have a small feedlot and I can tell you that you can’t feed cattle corn alone.  All cattle feeders will tell you that for the health of the animal you need a balanced ration that includes forage.  Granted that forage gets to the feedlot by means of mechanical harvest, but the effects are the same as far as organic matter goes.  That feedlot calf also spent the first half of his life on that pasture helping sequester carbon, and build organic matter, and his mother cow is still out there.  That is the beauty of cattle.  They are a reproductive carbon fighting team.

So in conclusion, I’d like to point out that we really need cattle to fight global warming.  By taking away ranching on the public lands in the west or some other special interest group telling people not to eat meat because it is bad for the environment, are breaking up the carbon fighting team that is made up of cattle.  So the next time you are driving down the road in your car and see some cattle out grazing, cheer on the team.