OSU research explores sustainability of cattle grazing in Kansas wheat–sorghum systems
Tuesday, August 26, 2025
Media Contact: Desa James | Communications Coordinator | 405-744-2669 | desa.james@okstate.edu
Most people would be surprised how much water goes into making a hamburger.
Dr. Mary Foltz, assistant professor for the School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, is working with master’s student Allie Thomas to find an alternative to traditional cattle feeding processes that could lessen the carbon footprint and water footprint that standard cattle feedlots produce.
The project titled “Advancing Markets for Producers: Life Cycle Assessment of Grazing in a Wheat-Sorghum System” aims to help the National Sorghum Producers evaluate the environmental and economic impacts of grazing cattle on wheat–sorghum–fallow crop rotations in western Kansas.
Funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, this project will use life cycle modeling to compare grazed and ungrazed wheat–sorghum systems with conventional feedlots. By the end of the study, researchers plan to deliver a generalized model that estimates the environmental benefits of sorghum grazing in dryland systems, starting in Kansas and potentially expanding nationwide.
Life cycle modeling looks beyond a single phase in a system’s lifetime and instead takes a more comprehensive look at the entire system.
“Rather than just exploring the greenhouse gas emissions from the soil a crop is grown in, you also consider the emissions upstream from when seeds, chemicals, and fuel are produced and transported to the field,” Foltz said.
The modeling also includes how products are processed, packaged, transported and ultimately disposed of. Both environmental and economic factors are considered, including climate change, eutrophication, acidification or even human health considerations like respiratory effects alongside costs and revenues.
Cattle grazing adds another layer of significance. Feedlots remain widespread but raise concerns over animal welfare and sustainability.
“Grazing is considered more ethical and potentially more sustainable since it avoids some transportation and field operations needed to transport crops to feedlots,” Foltz said.
With growing consumer attention to beef production, from ethics to water scarcity and climate change, the findings could help shape national conversations around sustainable agriculture and meat production.
The analysis will focus on two key measures: carbon footprint and water footprint. Carbon footprint accounts for greenhouse gas emissions throughout the entire system, from fertilizer production to cattle growth, while water footprint measures the total water required to produce beef. These insights may help producers explore alternatives that are less resource-intensive than corn-based feedlot systems, while also aligning with market demand for grass-fed and pasture-raised products.
The project is also strengthening student opportunities. It directly supports Thomas, who plans to go into industry after completing her master’s in environmental engineering.
“Allie has a background in biology and environmental engineering, so she was perfect for this project, which also closely aligns with her primary thesis work measuring and modeling greenhouse gases from cattle-grazed fields under different field management practices,” Foltz said.
Thomas’ work builds on her training in OSU’s Engineering for Sustainability course and will give her a competitive edge as she enters the job market next spring.
For industry partners, the research could provide new insights into both sustainability and profitability.
“I hope our partners will be receptive to what the data tell us and take action from there,” Foltz said. “Sometimes data are presented in the scientific community but never reach the folks who can make a change. I hope that by partnering with industry, we have an opportunity to bypass some of the barriers and reach the topic closer to its root.”