Confined Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs) provide the United States with over 50% of the total food we eat while only comprising, “about 5% of all U.S. animal operations.”₄ This shows the scale at which CAFOs can produce mass amounts of food. Similarly, mono-crop farms that grow plants such as corn, soy, beans, potatoes, wheat, and other high-demand crops can create huge amounts of food. Which, with our rapidly growing population, would seem like a great way to feed so many people. Despite there being many benefits of CAFOs and mono-crop farms, there are some vital flaws with their systems.
If we look at CAFOs first, we see that they are responsible for about 30% of current greenhouse gas emissions.₁ Which isn’t even counting transportation of these foods. Below is a breakdown of greenhouse gas emissions from many different foods in 2018. Each number associated with food is how many kilograms of CO₂ is released into the atmosphere for every kilogram of food produced.
Although the outlook on our climate and our food system seems bleak, there is a form of agriculture that both creates healthy, organic food, and helps store carbon from our atmosphere. It is called regenerative agriculture. Regenerative agriculture is a farming and ranching practice that helps reverse climate change and rebuilds soil and the ever degrading soil biodiversity. What this means is it keeps the soil below our feet healthy, able to grow amazing grass for cattle, and is a carbon sink that helps our environment.
This image shows the difference in biodiversity between regenerative and extractive agriculture
There are a couple of forms in which regenerative agriculture can be practiced. Such as no-till farming and rotational grazing. No-till farming refers to the process of tilling the soil to plant seeds every year. This means that all of the carbon that is stored in the soil and other plants is released into the atmosphere. A side effect of this kind of farming is dry soil. This adds to desertification and is the exact reason the Dust Bowl happened. Learn more about desertification here:
Rotational grazing is a method of grazing cattle (whether that be for dairy or meat) that mimics nature. In nature, there is a balance between predator and prey. This means, if the prey wants to survive, they have to stick together in a herd and keep moving. When livestock stays in herds and moves frequently, the grass is grazed intensely for a short period of time, which stimulates growth. Compared to free-range grazing where cattle are spread out over a large area. Another benefit of herd grazing is the hoves from the livestock break the ground up so new seeds and moisture can penetrate the ground.
This infographic from sacredcow.info shows how rotational grazing works and the benefits it produces in contrast to
conventional grazing techniques.
Regardless of the type of regenerative agriculture, it is all based around a system we all learned in 5th-grade science class, photosynthesis. The carbon dioxide in the atmosphere gets mixed with water, then the plant makes this mixture into simple sugars with sunlight. Once these sugars are in their final form. They are used by the tree and by the microorganisms in the soil. Once those sugars are consumed by the microorganisms and plants, it will stay in the soil for generations. Other benefits of having strong soil with lots of micro-activity are it holds water like a sponge. The soil is less susceptible to drought, in turn, reversing desertification.
Not only can regenerative agriculture reduce the amount of carbon dioxide in our atmosphere, but it can also sequester so much carbon dioxide that it can reverse climate change, and get us back to a stable world. But to do this, we have to stand with the farmers and ranchers that are actively practicing sustainable and regenerative agriculture. One of the best and most effective ways to support these farms and ranches is something called voting with your dollar. What voting with your dollar is, is buying or supporting any businesses or organizations that align themselves with your beliefs. In this case, supporting those small ranchers and farmers by buying their products so they can expand their business and keep sustainably growing and producing food.
This is a very complex and detailed analysis of the carbon cycles of grass-fed beef compared to fossil fuels
A great example of a farm that is strictly regenerative is White Oak Pastures in Georgia. They produce 100% grass-fed beef as well as pasture-raised chickens and pigs. They recently did an analysis of their direct carbon emissions and sinking abilities.
Looking at the emissions compared to other protein sources, you can see that they are very environmentally friendly while producing food. Below is the exact emission breakdown of White Oak Pastures.
So what the -3.5 means is that for every pound of meat, whether that be chicken, beef, or pork, they are actually taking 3.5 pounds of CO2 out of the atmosphere and storing it in the soil and grass. If we can move more toward this style of farming and support the farmers and ranchers that are already there, we can sequester thousands or even millions of tons of carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere. So please go out and support those people, maybe grow your own food in your backyard, and always question where your food is coming from.
If you are still interested in learning more, I would watch the documentary called Kiss The Ground starring Woody Harrelson. There is also a book called Sacred Cow that has a lot of information and current data on the topic.
Sources:
