Grazing livestock could reduce greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, study shows

U of A Folio, March 17, 2021, by Katie Willis.

An innovative approach to livestock grazing could help eliminate climate change-causing greenhouse gases, according to a new study by University of Alberta biologists.

The research shows that a strategy called adaptive multi-paddock (AMP) grazing extracts methane gas from the atmosphere, locking it inside the soil through microbial activity. Methane gas has a climate warming effect that is 28 times more potent than carbon dioxide over a 100-year time frame.

“Grasslands are the most endangered ecosystem type worldwide because of agricultural development and tillage,” said Mark Boyce, professor in the Department of Biological Sciences and supervising author on the project.

Read more about the Adaptive Multi-paddock Grazing Study from the Folio article.