I’m very much in favor of finishing on pasture, like we do in our own operation. But before you jump in with “most cattle are in CAFOs,” it’s important to understand the full picture. Even cattle finished in feedlots spend roughly 70% of their lives grazing pasture during the cow-calf and backgrounding phases of the production cycle. The microbial life our ecosystems, bacteria, fungi, and more, evolved alongside large grazing animals. Without them, the system begins to break down. Unless we bring back the American Bison in their historic numbers (or their ecological equivalents around the world), cattle are essential to keeping these landscapes alive. Their methane production is part of a natural cycle, and while it’s important to acknowledge and understand it, we must also not underestimate how vital our cattle and ranchers are in managing and preserving these grasslands.