Western Producer, April 27, 2017 by Barbara Duckworth: The symbiotic relationship of plants, soil and animals has long been understood among those living off the land. Soil with high carbon content has increased fertility, water retention and productivity. Now scientists are assessing the value of grazing on grasslands and that system’s ability to sequester more carbon in the soil and stave off greenhouse gas emissions. A carbon benchmarking study to quantify the carbon pool associated with grasslands across Alberta was recently completed.
“We are building on that by looking at trying to understand the mechanisms as to where, when and how grazing specifically leads to greater carbon,” said Ed Bork, director of the Rangeland Research Institute at the University of Alberta. Read more of the Soil Carbon article that appeared in Western Producer.