Near-Term Options for Reducing Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Livestock Systems in the United States: Beef, Dairy, and Swine Production Systems

Although livestock management is a small contributor to overall greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the United States, it makes up half of all U.S. agricultural emissions. Changes in livestock management can benefit air and water quality and help slow global climate change. The objective of this report is to synthesize and communicate the fundamental information necessary for designing agricultural GHG mitigation and reporting programs. It will be of use to private or voluntary markets and registries, commodity group and supply chain initiatives, and regulatory agencies. It summarizes strategies for managing GHG emissions from livestock systems and reviews options for quantifying and accounting for farm-scale implementation of such strategies.