Managing Global Resources for a Secure Future

Multi-indicator environmental impact assessments are required for evaluating the ability of production systems to meet sustainable intensification goals. In recent decades, life cycle assessment (LCA) has become a common tool for evaluating the performance of agricultural systems across multiple indicators of environmental, economic, and social sustainability. The objective of this study was to estimate the environmental footprints of grassfed beef production systems in Pennsylvania using LCA. To accomplish this, the production systems were first characterized using an online survey and interviews with producers during farm visits. Then, representative operations were simulated over multiple years of weather using the Integrated Farm System Model to quantify environmental footprints and nitrogen and phosphorus use efficiencies. The model analysis included cradle-to-farm gate LCAs for carbon emissions, reactive nitrogen losses, blue water use, and fossil energy use for each production system. Ranges for carbon, reactive nitrogen, blue water, and fossil energy footprints were 15.0 – 22.6 kg CO₂-equivalents kg BW^-1, 157.2 – 247.0 g N kg BW^-1, 36.0 – 206.7 L H₂O kg BW^-1, and 28.8 – 33.0 MJ kg BW^-1, respectively. The results of this analysis enable evaluation of tradeoffs among environmental footprints and farm profitability and the identification of “hotspots” or areas for improvement across a range of soil types, topography, and management for grassfed beef production systems. These data enable evaluation of the role of grassfed beef production systems in improving the sustainability of food systems in the northeastern United States.