We saw this diagram today and thought it was an excellent illustration of why cows are carbon-neutral. As cows are herbivores, the carbon they release comes from the grass they eat.
Carbon-neutral cows – the carbon they release is balanced by the carbon being absorbed by the grass they graze.
Cows often get blamed for global warming but as long as there is no change to the total number of cows, they are not causing any net increase in greenhouse gas emissions or global warming. Methane is more damaging than carbon dioxide, however, it is turning back into CO2 at the same rate as it is being created.
Those of us who are worried about global warming need to focus on fossil fuels. On our organic farm, we are doing all we can to reduce our fossil fuel consumption.