What the Media Gets Wrong About the Environmental Impact of Grass-Fed Beef

Many mainstream media articles and news clips miss the full picture of grass-fed beef, including environmental, nutritional and quality of life factors.

Ever notice how mainstream media loves to blame grass-fed, pasture-raised beef for environmental problems and climate change? How people like Bill Gates are blaming cows for creating too much methane? (Even though we know industrial gas production, mining and landfills create the majority of methane released into the atmosphere.) If you've read any recent articles about beef and climate change, you've probably seen headlines suggesting that grass-fed, pasture-raised beef is worse for the environment than grain-fed, feedlot beef.

Here's the thing: these articles usually miss the mark by a long shot. Why? Because they're looking at an incredibly complex system through an oversimplified lens.

Let's break down what's really happening with grass-fed, pasture-raised beef and the environment, and how cattle, grass, and soil work together in nature.

The Grain-Fed Math Nobody Talks About

Want to know something wild? The amount of grain needed to feed cattle in feedlots is staggering, and almost nobody talks about it.

Here's some quick napkin math:

• Cows generally need 2-3% of their body weight per day in feed, depending on the age of the cow, and if they are pregnant with calf or not

• So a 800lb cow needs roughly 20 pounds of grain feed per day at 2.5% of their body weight

• A 1,000lb cow needs roughly 30 pounds of grain feed per day at 3% of their body weight

• A full-sized bull weighs between 1,100 and 2,200 pounds (the largest and heaviest bull cattle in the world can weigh over 3,500 pounds!), so we're talking up to 65 pounds of feed per day for a 2,200lb bull fed 3% of their body weight

Now, a lot of factors go into this, because many cattle are fed a combination of grass, alfalfa hay and grains including corn, barley, oats and soybean meal. However, in this example math, we are comparing feed-lot cattle, to 100% grass-fed, pasture-raised cattle.

So, let’s continue and break down the actual land use needed to grow the grains for feed lot cattle:

• One acre produces about 180 bushels of corn on average (depends on the state it was grown in, climate, water conditions, etc. – source: USDA Crop Report via Morning AgClips)

• 1 bushel weighs approximately 56 pounds (Ohio State University Fact Sheet: Bushels, Test Weights and Calculations)

• So 180 x 56 = 10,080 pounds of corn

• For an 800 pound cow, at 20 pounds per day per cow, that's 504 days of feed from one acre

• And this isn't just any corn - it's typically conventionally grown corn requiring massive amounts of synthetic fertilizers, pesticides, and water resources. One acre of conventional corn requires approximately 140 pounds of nitrogen fertilizer annually. (source: GreaterAmericanCrop.com)

Ok, so now let’s break down how much a cow would eat over the course of its life. Most beef cattle live for 18 months on average before harvest:

• 18 months x 30.4 days in an average month = 547.2 days

• 547.2 days / 504 days of feed from one acre of corn = 1.086 acres

So 1.086 acres are needed to feed one 800lb cow on a feedlot grain-fed diet (corn in this case).

For a 1,000lb cow, this number increases to 1.63 acres needed.

Let’s compare this to grass-fed operations: according to regenerative ranchers like our friends at Hackamore Ranch, grass-fed, pasture-raised cattle need anywhere from 2 to 10 acres of grassland per head for their entire lives. At Hackamore, a ranch based in Texas, they have approximately 10 acres per head of cattle because of the hot, dry conditions most of the year, and because they simply care about their animals living their best lives possible and want them to have more space. So, this is a regenerative ranch, meaning the grassland naturally regenerates without chemical fertilizers or pesticides, thanks to the cattle themselves fertilizing the soil.

To recap our grass-fed, pasture-raised vs. grain-fed, feedlot-raised cattle math:

Grass-fed, pasture-raised cattle need ~ 5 acres of grassland which they eat over the course of their lifetime.

Grain-fed, feedlot-raised cattle need ~1.3 acres of corn acreage, plus roughly 0.25 to 0.5 acres for the space they live in.

But these acreage calculations only tell part of the story - the hidden environmental costs of grain production, including the chemical fertilizers, herbicides and pesticides needed to grow grains, multiply these impacts significantly.

The Hidden Environmental Costs of Grain-Fed Beef

When media outlets compare grass-fed to grain-fed beef, they often ignore the downstream impacts of grain production, which is substantial. 44% of all corn grown in the United States goes to animal feed. And get this – more than 90% of corn is bio-engineered to resist insects or herbicides (source: USDA).

So, besides simply land use and how much acreage animal feed takes up, here’s what mainstream media often misses about grain-fed beef and the crops grown to feed their food supply:

1. Chemical Fertilizers and Pesticides

• Petroleum-based fertilizers that seep into our water supply

• Glyphosate and other pesticides linked to cancer

• Soil degradation from intensive monocropping

2. Water Quality

• Chemical runoff into rivers and streams

• Concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs) creating waste lagoons

• Groundwater contamination

3. Soil Health

• Depleted soil from continuous corn/soy rotation

• Loss of natural biodiversity

• Reduced carbon sequestration capacity (microbes and other organisms in the soil contribute to a living ecosystem which, like plants and trees, is also able to capture carbon, methane and other greenhouse gases from the atmosphere)

This creates a cascading effect of environmental damage that goes far beyond simple land use calculations. While industrial agriculture might appear more efficient on paper, the long-term costs to soil health, water quality, and ecosystem stability create hidden environmental debts that future generations will have to pay.

The Carbon Cycle They Don't Tell You About

Grass-fed cattle are part of a natural cycle where:

1. Cows eat grass

2. Cows fertilize soil

3. Grass grows stronger

4. Soil captures more carbon

5. Cycle repeats

This process, known as the biogenic carbon cycle, has been occurring naturally for millions of years before industrial agriculture existed.

So, regeneratively ranches that raise grass-fed, pasture-raised cattle are actively rebuilding soil health, for future crop growth, and better carbon sequestration from the atmosphere. When managed properly, regenerative ranches become carbon sinks rather than carbon sources. The deep root systems of perennial grasses, combined with natural fertilization from grazing cattle, create a powerful system for pulling carbon from the atmosphere and storing it in the soil. This process can actually help reverse climate change, rather than contribute to it.

Now, let’s talk about methane, and the folks who claim cows are causing too much methane in the atmosphere. The reality is that the majority of methane is produced by industry including natural gas and petroleum systems, coal mining and landfills. According to the EPA, these industrial sources account for over 60% of methane emissions in the US alone. Roughly 20-30% of methane released into the atmosphere in the US comes from cows (~20% from beef cattle and 10% from dairy cattle).

But here’s the thing: not all methane is created equal.

When you hear about cattle methane emissions, remember this:

• Beef cattle contribute about 20-30% of global methane emissions

• But grass-fed cattle on pasture have a different impact than feedlot cattle

• Much of the methane from pasture-raised cattle is sequestered back into the grassland soil (versus feed-lot cattle where there isn’t enough healthy soil nearby for proper sequestration)

• Industrial methane from natural gas and petroleum systems, coal mining and landfills has no biological matter around to capture it

So yes, cows release methane into the atmosphere. Through a natural process called hydroxyl oxidation, methane from cattle breaks down in the atmosphere within about 10 years, becoming part of the natural carbon cycle. This natural breakdown process has been in balance for millions of years, unlike the additional methane from industrial sources which overwhelms the atmosphere's natural ability to process it. This distinction is crucial when discussing methane's environmental impact. 

What About Land Use?

"But grass-fed beef uses too much land!" they say. Here's what that argument misses:

1. Not all land is equal

• Many grazing lands can't support crops

• Grasslands naturally evolved with grazing animals

• Well-managed grazing improves soil health

2. Regenerative Benefits

• Increased organic matter in the soil allows for healthier crops in the future

• Better water retention

• More biodiversity

3. Carbon Sequestration

• Healthy grasslands store massive amounts of carbon

• Grazing actually stimulates grass growth

• Deep root systems store more carbon than annual crops

The land use debate often ignores the quality and potential of different types of land. Much of the grassland used for cattle grazing is marginal land that couldn't support crops anyway. According to the USDA, approximately 85% of U.S. grazing lands are unsuitable for growing crops. Using this land for grazing actually represents its highest and best agricultural use. By using these lands for grazing, we're actually optimizing our agricultural system, not detracting from it. Through proper management, these grazing lands can become more productive over time, while cropland often becomes depleted without significant chemical inputs.

The Bottom Line

Is grass-fed, pasture-raised beef perfect? No. But when comparing it to grain-fed, feedlot-raised beef we need to look at the whole picture:

• The massive grain production required for feedlots

• The chemical inputs needed for that grain

• The natural cycling of nutrients in grassland systems

• The ability of well-managed grazing to improve soil health

• The difference between biogenic methane and industrial emissions

It's also worth noting that grass-fed, pasture-raised operations support local economies and food security. When you buy from local regenerative ranchers, you're supporting a system that can continue producing food indefinitely without depleting natural resources, ideally near your own home!

The next time you read an article claiming grass-fed beef is worse for the environment, ask yourself: are they looking at the whole system, or just cherry-picking convenient talking points that support big Agriculture and corporate systems?

At Wild Horizon, we believe in supporting regenerative agriculture because we've seen the evidence firsthand. We work with ranchers who are building soil health, sequestering carbon, and producing nutrient-dense food – all while working with nature, not against it.

And to clarify for everyone reading this: we’re not scientists! We’re founders of a company that makes 100% grass-fed, pasture-raised beef protein bars and we are still learning as much as we can about all these systems, data, farmers and industry. We care deeply about this issue, because our mission is to inspire people to live healthier lives, in greater harmony with nature. Every article we publish may not be perfect, but as we continue this journey, we can promise you we’ll do our best to include the most accurate, relevant and comprehensive information available, and continue to be students of this world.