Beef industry can cut emissions by up to 30%, new study finds

Human-induced greenhouse gases have been the leading driver of climate change since the mid-20th century, particularly agriculture. The U.S. beef industry alone is responsible for 3.3 percent of the country’s total emissions, and even with greater reduction commitments from beef industry partners and significant gains over the past 50 years, the highly complex supply chain remains a barrier.

New research published in Natural foodfrom the University of Minnesota’s Institute on the Environment (IonE) and The Nature Conservancy, outlines concrete steps the U.S. beef industry can take to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by up to 30 percent. Lead author and IonE research scientist Rylie Pelton and fellow researchers developed and implemented the first county- and location-level assessment of the beef industry’s environmental impact, which identified geographic emissions hotspots along the supply chain.

The study found:

• The U.S. beef industry currently emits nearly 258 million tons of greenhouse gases each year.
• Emissions from feed production associated with beef supply and confinement, such as feedlots, are concentrated in the Great Plains and Midwest, while emissions from grazing tend to be more evenly distributed across the West.
• Nearly one-third of greenhouse gas emissions could be mitigated by implementing alternative practices in grazing, feed production, confinement and processing. 42 alternative practices were studied throughout the supply chain, including strategies such as cover cropping, feed additives and energy management.

“The beef supply chain is one of the most complex food production systems in the country, making it difficult for beef processors to identify opportunities to reduce their emissions,” Pelton said. “Our highly tailored assessment provides distinct recommendations for different regions of the country, including concrete steps the beef industry can take to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions and increase carbon sequestration in soils and croplands.”

The researchers outlined immediate steps the beef industry can take to begin reducing greenhouse gas emissions based on regional geographic characteristics and available mitigation strategies. For example, Pelton and his team identified a significant opportunity to add trees to pastures in the Southeast to store more carbon in grazing areas. In the northern Great Plains, the team found potential benefits in repairing degraded wetlands to achieve the same result.

“Sustainability must be a constant in the U.S. beef industry to ensure stable, long-term food production, economic security for ranchers and their communities, and a healthy environment for all of us,” said Kris Johnson, co-author and director of The Nature Conservancy’s North American Agriculture Program. “This research helps the industry and other decision-makers identify concrete steps to meet climate goals while delivering a product that meets consumer expectations.”

The research also represents an extension of IonE’s FoodS3 model, pronounced “food cubes,” which analyzes the sustainability of food industry supply chains to provide practical recommendations for reducing environmental impact.

“These are our first published results that present location-specific data on emissions across the animal supply chain,” said Jennifer Schmitt, FoodS3 research lead and co-author of the paper. “We are excited to share how our model can bring increased transparency to U.S. agricultural supply chains and identify steps that businesses and industry can take to reduce their carbon footprint.”