A new white paper detailing the minimal environmental footprint of beef production in the US was recently published by the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, a contractor to the Beef Checkoff. You can download it HERE.

US beef production, particularly when it comes to greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, is often misrepresented with global statistics that fuel inaccurate reports and misconceptions. This new white paper addresses this issue by sharing the most recent data indicating that only 3.7 percent of US GHG emissions come directly from beef cattle. By comparison, globally, beef cattle account for 6 percent of GHG emissions. To put US beef production further into perspective, all of agriculture, including beef cattle and other animal and crop agriculture, accounts for 8.4 percent of US GHG emissions. Comparatively, transportation accounts for 28 percent of GHG emissions in the US.