RaiSinG the SteakS

The report finds that beef production accounts for approximately 2.2% of total U.S. global warming emissions. While improving forage quality could reduce methane emissions from pasture beef by 15% to 30%, the overall impact on U.S. emissions would be less than 0.5%. However, well-managed pastures offer significant carbon sequestration potential, potentially offsetting 0.1% to 2% of annual U.S. heat-trapping emissions. The document compares pasture-finishing systems with confined animal feeding operations (CAFOs), noting that while CAFOs often have higher feed efficiency, pastures generally sequester more carbon. The author recommends that the USDA expand research into nutritious pasture crops and provide incentive payments for best management practices.

• Beef production is responsible for approximately 2.2% of total U.S. global warming emissions, with methane from beef cattle accounting for about 1.4% and nitrous oxide contributing roughly 0.8%.
• Improving the nutritional quality of forage crops through better pasture management could reduce methane emissions from pasture beef by 15% to 30%, though the total reduction in U.S. global warming emissions would be less than 0.5%.
• Well-managed pastures or the conversion of crop acres to pasture can sequester between 0.8 to 1.0 metric ton of carbon per hectare, potentially offsetting 0.1% to 2% of annual U.S. heat-trapping emissions.
• Pasture-raised beef systems can achieve high feed efficiency if producers avoid low-quality, mature pasture; some studies show forage efficiency reaching 76% of the average efficiency of grain-based concentrates.
• Perennial pastures generally sequester more carbon than the annual row crops (such as corn) used in CAFOs, and often double the sequestration rates of no-till annual crops.
• Specific best management practices to reduce climate impact include increasing legumes in forage mixtures, avoiding excessive nitrogen fertilizer, maintaining moderate stocking densities, and preventing overgrazing.
• Innovative practices with potential climate benefits include planting birdsfoot trefoil, which contains condensed tannins that may reduce methane and nitrous oxide emissions.
• The climate impact of beef production is influenced by land productivity; in the U.S., feed grains are typically grown on higher-quality land than that used for pasture, a factor often overlooked in comparisons between the two systems.

APA

Gurian-Sherman, D. (2011). RaiSinG the SteakS. Union of Concerned Scientists. https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/2019-10/global-warming-and-beef-production-report_0.pdf

Chicago

Gurian-Sherman, Doug. RaiSinG the SteakS. Union of Concerned Scientists, 2011. https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/2019-10/global-warming-and-beef-production-report_0.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Gurian-Sherman |first1=Doug |title=RaiSinG the SteakS |publisher=Union of Concerned Scientists |date=February 2011 |url=https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/2019-10/global-warming-and-beef-production-report_0.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{guriansherman2011raising, author = {Gurian-Sherman, Doug}, title = {{RaiSinG the SteakS}}, institution = {Union of Concerned Scientists}, year = {2011}, month = feb, url = {https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/2019-10/global-warming-and-beef-production-report_0.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }