Cattle methane emission and pasture carbon dioxide balance of a grazed grassland

Grasslands constitute a major land use globally and are a potential sink of atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO). They are also an important habitat for wildlife and a source of feed that supports ruminant livestock production. However, the presence of ruminants grazing these grasslands is also a source of methane (CH) that contributes to buildup of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. Our study measured enteric CH from 40 confined heifers in 1-ha paddocks using a dispersion model and CO exchange from an adjacent grassland site using a micrometeorological technique. The study was conducted at a mixed prairie grassland located in southern Alberta, Canada. The mean (standard error) CH emission was 189 (± 6) g animal d over four campaigns (over a 3-yr period). The daily averaged CO exchange from the grassland peaked at +2.2 g m h (sink) in early July and declined to negative values (source) in mid-August. Annually, the grazed grassland was either a net sink for carbon (C) at +40 kg C ha or a small source at -7 kg C ha depending on a cattle stocking density of 0.1 or 0.2 animals ha, respectively. However, in basing the exchange on CO equivalence (CO), both stocking densities resulted in the grazed grassland being a source of greenhouse gas of -9 or -338 kg CO ha y. This study illustrates the need to consider the cattle CH emissions and the stocking density when evaluating the environmental sustainability of grazed grasslands.