Cattle are recyclers. As plants grow, they take carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere. When cattle eat the grass, they burp the gases back into the air. Some of this gas is carbon dioxide that is then recycled by the plants. Ruminants also produce methane gas.
Manure is a natural by-product of cattle production and is a natural fertilizer.
When on pasture free range cattle randomly distribute manure, which breaks down naturally and recycles nutrients to the soil. Both beef cattle feedlots and dairy farms are required to construct manure containment facilities away from water sources. Manure may be temporarily stockpiled or composted. It is then spread on agricultural lands and incorporated into the soil to act as a natural fertilizer. Regulations currently in place in most provinces provide legal repercussions to prevent deliberate contamination of water sources.