In Australia, sheep farms are adopting regenerative agriculture methods to reconcile economic yield and reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. These practices include adapted pasture management, increased plant diversity, and smart herd rotation. A recent analysis reveals that the choice of forage species plays a key role in productivity and carbon storage in soils. Plots planted with high-yield species see their production increase by an average of 7%, while those with less productive plants lose up to 39% of their seasonal yield. These differences directly influence the amount of carbon stored in the soil: soils rich in productive plants gain up to 41 tons of carbon per hectare over a century, whereas soils poor in vegetation lose carbon.<\/p>\n
The initial state of carbon in the soil proves equally decisive. Soils initially poor in carbon capture more CO\u2082 over time, thereby reducing the net emissions of farms. Conversely, soils already rich in carbon can release it, increasing overall emissions. This shows that climate benefits depend heavily on local context and land history.<\/p>\n
Among the techniques tested, adaptive grazing with variable rest periods promotes carbon storage and pasture growth, especially in humid regions. However, this method is not always the most profitable. Low-intensity grazing systems with short rest periods often prove more profitable, as they reduce the costs of supplementary feeding.<\/p>\n
Methane emissions related to animal digestion remain the main source of greenhouse gases in these farms. Even though regenerative agriculture allows for carbon sequestration, it is not enough to fully offset these emissions. Farms must therefore balance environmental and economic objectives by adapting their practices to their environment and resources.<\/p>\n
This study highlights the importance of selecting suitable plant species and finely managing herds to optimize productivity, profitability, and climate impact simultaneously. Solutions are not universal: what works in one region may prove less effective elsewhere. The challenge is to find a balance between soil preservation, emission reduction, and economic viability, taking into account the specificities of each farm.<\/p>\n
DOI:<\/strong> https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1038\/s43016-026-01331-2<\/a><\/p>\n Title:<\/strong> Regenerative agriculture improves productivity and profitability while reducing greenhouse gas emissions on Australian sheep farms<\/p>\n Journal:<\/strong> Nature Food<\/p>\n Publisher:<\/strong> Springer Science and Business Media LLC<\/p>\n Authors:<\/strong> Albert Muleke; Karen Michelle Christie-Whitehead; Michelle Cain; Ke Liu; Paul John Burgess; Catherine Wiltshire; Georgios Pexas; Matthew Tom Harrison<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Does regenerative agriculture really boost productivity and climate in sheep farms? In Australia, sheep farms are adopting regenerative agriculture methods to reconcile economic yield and reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. These practices include adapted pasture management, increased plant diversity, and smart herd rotation. A recent analysis reveals that the choice of forage species plays a… Continue reading Does regenerative agriculture really boost productivity and climate in sheep farms?<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-21","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-environment","entry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/globalagriculturejournal.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/globalagriculturejournal.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/globalagriculturejournal.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/globalagriculturejournal.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/globalagriculturejournal.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=21"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/globalagriculturejournal.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":22,"href":"https:\/\/globalagriculturejournal.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21\/revisions\/22"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/globalagriculturejournal.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=21"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/globalagriculturejournal.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=21"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/globalagriculturejournal.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=21"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}