A University of Wyoming literature review of 82 peer-reviewed studies on grazing beef cattle methane emissions found that only two measured soil carbon sequestration at the same time. The review, published in the New Zealand Journal of Agricultural Research, says this gap makes it hard to know the true net carbon impact of grazing systems, and that more simultaneous animal and soil sampling is needed before policy and management decisions are locked in. The two studies that did measure both suggest that under certain grazing management systems, soil carbon gains could more than offset the methane produced by cattle. The UW team also flagged inconsistent measurement methods across studies, which complicates comparisons. They argue that standardizing how methane is quantified, while adding soil carbon analysis, would give regulators and ranchers more reliable data on whether strategies like rotational grazing or organic soil amendments actually cut net emissions.
