Russ Conser’s letter to the editor, “Research could pay off“, in the July 10 Houston Chronicle suggests holistic cattle grazing could help Texas meet new Environmental Protection Agency emissions guidelines, citing research by Dixon Water Foundation advisory board member Richard Teague. His letter brings up some excellent points and is well worth reading. Here’s an excerpt:
Research by Dr. Richard Teague at Texas A&M University on ranches in north central Texas indicates the ability to take up roughly 1.2 tons of carbon per acre in ranch land soils simply by changing how cattle are grazed on the land. More research is needed, but if the same numbers held up on average elsewhere in the state, implementing these methods on just 3 million acres, or just 1.7 percent of the land area of Texas (172 million acres), would offset 10 percent of the EPA emissions target given to Texas.
These techniques also lead to higher rancher productivity, lower costs, increased water infiltration and holding capacity, and increased biodiversity. Implementation would also lead to better drought resilience, less flooding, better hunting habitat and enhanced rural economies.
Texas, still the largest producer of cattle in the country, would be smart to consider implementation of novel grazing practices as part of its EPA response plan. We would truly be a leader in doing so.
