Organic Beef vs Feedlot Beef: Study Finds Grass-Fed Has Higher Carbon Footprint per Kilogram

A new preprint from U.S. and Brazilian researchers compares organic grass-fed beef with conventional feedlot beef using 25 years of data from a New Mexico livestock research center. The simulation found organic beef emitted about 95% more carbon per kilogram of live weight than conventional beef. That gap comes largely from lower productivity, since organic cattle take more land and feed to produce the same amount of meat. However, the study also shows conventional systems lost 77% more nitrogen from soil, and organic farming scored better on soil nutrient retention, biodiversity, and air quality. The authors did not include land use change emissions, so the picture is incomplete. The takeaway is not that feedlots are climate-friendly, but that beef is emissions-intensive either way and the choice between labels involves real tradeoffs.