CARBON EMISSIONS BY BEEF CATTLE: AN ANALYSIS OF THE ESTÂNCIA 28

  • Letícia Paludo Vargas Universidade Federal de Santa Maria
  • Vicente Celestino Pires Silveira Universidade Federal de Santa Maria
Keywords: Beef Cattle, Costs of Carbon, Environmental Impacts.

Abstract

Environmental impacts caused by extensive beef cattle production systems are analyzed. A case study of Estancia 28 of the Fundação Maronna, within the Environmental Protection Area in Ibirapuitã in the southern state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, was undertaken. IPCC was employed for the analysis of meteorological data, which quantified carbon emissions from beef cattle. The years 2010, 2011 and 2012were selected for data analysis on the Estância 28 to evaluate the environmental impacts caused by beef production. Research comprised emissions from enteric fermentation, changes in land use on the farm and animal dejects. Data analysis showed that emissions derived from the farm are within the limits reported in other research works.

Author Biographies

Letícia Paludo Vargas, Universidade Federal de Santa Maria
Zootecnista. Mestre em Extensão Rural. Doutoranda do Programa de Pós-Graduação em Extensão Rural – PPGExR - UFSM. Departamento de Educação Agrícola e Extensão Rural. Santa Maria, RS, Brasil. E-mail: leticiavargas@zootecnista.com.br
Vicente Celestino Pires Silveira, Universidade Federal de Santa Maria
Médico Veterinário. PhD Manejo de Recursos pela Edinburgh University – Scotland. Professor do Departamento de Educação Agrícola e Extensão Rural e do Programa de Pós-graduação em Extensão Rural - PPGExR- UFSM. Santa Maria, RS, Brasil. E-mail: vcpsilveira@gmail.com
Published
2016-07-01
Section
Environment