Soil carbon sequestration research gap in livestock methane studies: University of Wyoming review

University of Wyoming researchers reviewed 82 peer-reviewed studies on methane emissions from grazing cattle and found a major blind spot: only two studies measured soil carbon sequestration alongside animal emissions. Those two studies suggested that certain grazing management systems could offset more methane than the cattle produce, but the evidence base is far too thin to support broad policy conclusions. The review also found wide variation in how methane emissions are quantified across studies. Standardizing measurement methods and adding soil carbon analysis would give researchers and policymakers more reliable data on the net carbon balance of grazing lands. For ranchers and carbon market participants, this highlights an undercounted opportunity in grazing land soil carbon, but one that still needs more field data before it becomes a dependable credit source.