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Adaptive multi-paddock grazing enhances soil carbon and nitrogen stocks and stabilization through mineral association in southeastern U.S. grazing lands

This paper conducted a large-scale on-farm study on five “across the fence” pairs of Holistic Planned Grazing, referred to by the authors as adaptive multi-paddock (AMP) grazing, and conventional grazing (CG) grasslands covering a spectrum of southeast United States grazing lands. Findings showed that the AMP grazing sites had on average 13% (i.e., 9 Mg C ha−1) more soil C and 9% (i.e., 1 Mg N ha−1) more soil N compared to the CG sites over a 1 m depth. Additionally, the stocks’ difference was mostly in the mineral-associated organic matter fraction in the A-horizon, suggesting long-term persistence of soil C in AMP grazing farms.

The role of ruminants in reducing agriculture’s carbon footprint in North America

This paper determined that properly-managed grazing, if applied on 25% of our crop and grasslands, would mitigate the entire carbon footprint of North American agriculture. Better management of cropping and grazing practices in North America could draw down and sequester in soil 1.2 gigatons of carbon annually, equivalent to about 10% of the world’s total greenhouse gas emissions.

Restoring the Climate Through Capture and Storage of Soil Carbon

In this 2015 whitepaper by the Savory Institute, grasslands are discussed as an important carbon sink for addressing the climate crisis.

The Potential of Restorative Grazing to Mitigate Global Warming by Increasing Carbon Capture on Grasslands

This white paper reviews the literature on soil organic carbon losses and potential gains through regenerative management. It finds that most literature is limited to areas considered in “agriculture” and that rangelands may be largely under represented both in terms of of losses and drawdown potential. It argues that with regenerative rangeland practices, such as Holistic Planned Grazing, the total capture of atmospheric carbon may be much higher than previously considered. An upward estimate of 88 to 210 gigatons (billions of tons) of carbon (88-210 GtC) representing a total drawdown of 25 to 60 tons per hectare on 3500 million hectares of grasslands worldwide is postulated as achievable through proper rangeland/grassland management.

Tall Fescue Management in the Piedmont: Sequestration of Soil Organic Carbon and Total Nitrogen

Grazing is shown to be superior to haying for organic C and N sequestration. Sequestration rates of 1.51 Mg C ha−1 yr−1 and 0.126 Mg N ha−1 yr−1 were measured during managed grazing of tall fescue over a period of 8 years on land in the southeastern United States that had previously been degraded via haying.

Soil Carbon Sequestration in U.S. Rangelands

This Environmental Defense Fund issues paper from 2009 recognized the magnitude of rangelands as a global ecosystem (up to half the land surface area of the planet) and of rangeland soils as a carbon sink suitable to mitigate global warming through proper management actions (“protocols”). It states that on the 761 million acres of rangelands in the United States, 198 million tons of atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) – or 3.3% of US fossil fuel emissions – could be sequestered into newly formed soil each year for 30 years. Several actions for soil improvement on rangelands are presented, the number one of which is “Conversion of abandoned and degraded cropland to grassland.” Some other recommended actions include avoiding conversion of rangeland to croplands in the first place, extensive grazing management and adjusting stocking rates.

The Potential of U.S. Grazing Lands to Sequester Carbon and Mitigate the Greenhouse Effect

This book describes grazing lands, the areas they occupy, and their important role in sequestering C to help mitigate the greenhouse effect. Table 16.1 shows that rangelands in the US can sequester between 17.5 and 90.5 million metric tons of carbon per year through soil enhancement measures including improved grazing and conversion of crops to pasture.