In 2010, several herds of cows airlifted from North Dakota to Kazakhstan helped spark a burgeoning cattle industry in the former USSR republic. 

The effort was part of a Kazakh government initiative to build out the country’s moribund cattle industry, which has steadily expanded since. At the forefront of this initiative is KazBeef, a company dedicated to achieving “net zero” emissions in its beef and dairy operations—a tall task, as livestock remains one of the biggest global sources of methane, a particularly potent greenhouse gas. 

To aim for net zero, the company is grazing cattle on Kazakhstan’s vast grasslands in a way that enables the soil to soak up more carbon. The process would then generate verified carbon credits that could theoretically offset some of the company’s livestock emissions, or be purchased by other companies to do the same. But skeptics have raised a variety of concerns over the concept of “climate-smart beef,” and question the validity of emission reductions in an industry that relies on cows, which burp out staggering amounts of climate-warming gas each year. 

My colleague Georgina Gustin visited Kazakhstan to report on KazBeef’s operations and efforts to beef up the livestock industry in the world’s largest landlocked nation. I asked Georgina to tell me more about her experiences in the Kazakh steppe and how carbon credits work in the cattle industry. 

Q: How did you learn about this situation, and what were your first thoughts when you arrived in Kazakhstan?

I actually learned about KazBeef, North Dakota-based company EcoBalance and their climate efforts in the most ordinary way—through a press release. The whole idea of “grazing-based credits” really caught my attention and so did the location of the project. Journalists get bombarded with press releases, but this one kind of stood out!

I arrived in Kazakhstan, via Dubai, after being in Zambia for a month, where I was reporting another story. It was 100 degrees Fahrenheit in Zambia and negative 10 degrees in Astana, the Kazakh capital, so my first thought was: It’s really friggin’ cold! Astana felt like it was in the middle of nowhere, but it’s a very modern city with lots of new high rises and broad avenues. It had kind of a space station, outpost-ish vibe. Over the course of the next few days, I spent more time in the countryside and in or near small villages. Out there on the steppe, it’s very sparse and quiet and, frankly, a little bit bleak in places. But it’s also very beautiful in a minimalistic way.

Q: How did you report the story, and did anything surprise you?

I reached out to KazBeef and EcoBalance, first thing. They were both really responsive and open to the idea of me visiting Kazakhstan. They were really generous with their time. Once I started talking to them, it was just a matter of creating a kind of web of sources around the central idea. They first unveiled their concept of climate-smart, grazing-based carbon credits last year at the 28th annual United Nations climate summit (COP28) in Dubai. They’re also selling the product in that country now. The fact that there’s an appetite for it there is a little surprising, given that Dubai is not exactly a climate-conscious place. But, apparently, consumers are willing to pay for steaks and burgers they believe have a lower impact on the climate.

Q: How do KazBeef’s grazing-based credits work?

KazBeef is the first company outside of the U.S. to use a system of “twice over” grazing, developed by EcoBalance, which had previously worked with ranchers in its home state of  North Dakota to generate carbon credits by grazing cattle in this way. KazBeef teamed up with EcoBalance to use the same system and is now in the process of trying it out.  

In theory, it works like this: Cows graze on grass and are strategically moved around to stimulate more grass growth, which makes the grass better able to store carbon. A company that wants to offset its carbon pollution can then buy a “credit” generated by the grazing process and verified by a third-party company. A company that wants to lower carbon emissions in its own supply chain can also establish what’s known as a carbon inset—the company verifies a carbon credit and uses it to cancel out the emissions it generates in its own supply chain.

Q: Why is the term “climate-smart beef” controversial? 

The idea is controversial for a few reasons. Cows generate methane through their burps, which are a significant source of greenhouse gas emissions, and some third-party verifiers don’t account for that. They only account for the carbon in the soil. Secondly, the carbon in the soil  isn’t always measured consistently or over a sufficiently long period of time, so some scientists think its capacity to offset emissions is limited or just not reliably calculated.

The idea of climate-smart beef is appealing to climate-conscious consumers who want to keep eating beef, but critics say beware of greenwashing. There will likely be more brands advertising “climate friendly” or “climate smart” beef, so caveat emptor.