Holistic Planned Grazing, Organic Production, and Climate Change

The recent issue of the CCOF (California Certified Organic Farmer) magazine, Certified Organic, featured Holistic Managment grassfed producer, Joe Morris of Morris Grassfed Beef. The title of the article is "The Soil Could Save Us: Mitigating Climate Change on the Farm." The article also features Ward and Rosie Burroughs and what they are doing with their orchards to increase carbon sequestration in the soil. The article talks about how research has shown that organic production is more resilient to climate change because of the increase in biodiversity that helps farms and ranches better weather extreme climate and pest issues. Likewise, organic farms use 30-50% less energy than conventional farms, helping them survive increases in energy costs and inputs. The article also cites a 27-year study by the Rodale Institute which found that organic farming practices increase carbon sequestration in the soil. The Rodale Institute research suggest that if we had all the farms in the world convert to these kinds of practices we could sequester 100% of the current yearly CO2 emissions. If we take into account all agricultural land, the potential to mitigate climate change is even higher. The results of Morris Grassfed supports this research. Joe and Julie Morris participated in the Soil Carbon Coalition's research. Even though the Morris land was under drought conditions during the data collection that happened between 2011 and 2015, the Morrises were still able to increase soil carbon by 7% in the top 4 inches of soil and by 11% in the next 6 inches below that. More carbon in the soil means less in the atmosphere. More carbon in the soil means healthier plants and animals. To learn more about how Holistic Management is helping farmers and ranchers increase soil health and mitigate climate change, visit our Regenerative Solution page.