Beginning in 2030, Denmark plans to become the first nation to tax its livestock farmers per animal to target so-called “greenhouse gas” emissions. The Danish government considers livestock—cows in particular—a major contributor to environmental harm. The tax will be applied in stages but may reach an equivalent of about $96 per animal. Denmark says the tax on the country’s nearly 1.5 million cows will contribute to “a restructured food industry.” But are cows really the problem?
Cow digestion involves fermentation, which produces methane. Methane is a gas made of carbon and hydrogen. Cows release methane by burping.
According to NASA scientists, methane in the atmosphere traps heat. Many climate scientists say that methane must be reduced to prevent human-caused warming of our planet. This goal puts cows in the crosshairs for many governments and industries.
But farmers and universities now say the cow isn’t the problem; farm management, however, may be. With proper management, grazing herds may be environmental heroes, helping to take more carbon from the atmosphere than they add to it.
Scientists studied the vast grassland prairies of the American and Canadian West. They found deep, rich soil—as much as 15 feet deep in some places. This soil supports the rapid growth of grasses whose foliage absorbs much carbon from the air and whose roots carry that carbon deep into the soil, where it is held until it is harnessed by new organic life. What contributed to that carbon-trapping cycle? Mighty herds of migrating herbivores.
Long ago, the prairies were home to vast herds of bison and elk. These animals had to stay on the move to survive for two main reasons: finding food and fleeing predators. God gave these creatures protective instincts to band together in groups. As they grazed prairies, they left a path of apparent destruction: closely clipped grasses, trampled soil, and much sloppy manure. What looked like a big mess, however, was the perfect environment for biodiverse plant growth.
Grasses nipped down to soil level, but with roots left intact, survived grazing—ready to sprout again even more robustly. Fast-growing new leaves and blades stripped carbon from the air while root systems grew deeper and deeper. Animal hooves broke the soil surface allowing aeration and moisture penetration. And rich manure composting on the surface contributed nutrients and readily accepted seeds for new growth. As herds moved on, the soil rested and regenerated naturally, cleaning the air and becoming restored for the next pass on the migratory cycle.
Conventional farming clears large expanses of acreage and lets cows graze unrestrained in huge pastures. This doesn’t promote rapid carbon capture. But agriculture scientists now realize that farmers can recreate migratory patterns using movable fencing, even on smaller farms. By grazing one area intensely at a time and then herding the animals to a new section by simply moving the fencing, large areas get to rest and regenerate—and they do so quickly. The method is called “adaptive multi-paddock” farming, or AMP.
According to Dr. David Johnson, a molecular biologist at New Mexico State University, AMP ranches are overall much healthier than conventional ranches. During the regenerative phase, new plant growth photosynthesizes more quickly than growth in lightly grazed pastures. Photosynthesis uses sunlight, water, and carbon dioxide from air, making plants natural, atmosphere-cleaning factories. AMP ranches average almost 50% more plant biomass than conventional ranches. That’s a lot more plant factories doing good work. Plus, soil carbon respiration—the amount of carbon released from soil back into the air—also decreases by almost 20% compared to conventional ranches. More carbon stays underground.
The study released by Johnson and others proposes that by keeping the cows on the move with AMP around the globe, almost 6.7 billion tons of carbon could be cleaned from the air each year.
So bring on the cows—and the movable fences!
Why? Farming methods that acknowledge and use well the natural principles God designed into His creation result in benefits—rather than harm—for people, animals, and the environment.
