THE FLORIDA CATTLEMAN AND LIVESTOCK JOURNAL September 2012 Pasture Management for Sequestering Carbon

Carbon sequestration refers to the process of transferring carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere into the soil. A significant fraction of carbon stored in the soil is stable and, consequently, can remain in the soil for decades or longer. This process of transferring or “sequestering” carbon from the atmosphere helps off-set emissions from combustion of fossil fuel and other human-related activities. Over the past decade, U.S. agricultural soils overall have acted as a net sink of atmospheric CO2, sequestering approximately 12 million metric tons of carbon per year. Although agricultural soils can also emit CO2 to the atmosphere, adoption of best soil and cropping management practices improved the ability of agricultural soils to remove more carbon from the atmosphere than they release to it.