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Sometimes—but not reliably, and soil carbon alone does not show the full climate effect. A USDA Agricultural Research Service summary of a 2021 study reports that converting two remnant fields in Oklahoma to switchgrass increased soil-carbon content while reducing methane consumption. In a separate five-year eastern Nebraska comparison, perennial grasses did not increase soil-carbon stocks relative to adjacent no-till corn. Results depend on the site, starting conditions, grass system and time measured.
What the studies found
Oklahoma: carbon rose, methane consumption fell
The focal study, Bates et al. (2021), examined switchgrass at two Dust Bowl remnant-field sites in Oklahoma. The USDA ARS summary describes soils with low nitrogen and phosphorus availability, low carbon content and a history of high erosion. Soil-carbon content increased, but methane consumption declined; greenhouse-gas effects and microbial-community responses varied by site. The agency summary does not give a numerical carbon effect size, so it cannot support a specific estimate or a nationwide prediction. USDA ARS publication record.
Nebraska: no detected stock increase over five years
A separate eastern Nebraska study compared switchgrass, big bluestem, a low-diversity grass mixture and adjacent no-till continuous corn. Soil organic carbon (SOC) and total nitrogen (TN) stocks were measured from 0–120 cm in 2012 and 2017. Neither SOC nor TN differed between grass treatments and corn, and neither changed over time in either system. The grass mixture generally produced more aboveground biomass after 2013 than the monocultures and had greater SOC and TN stocks than big bluestem, but it did not show a general stock advantage over corn. The USDA ARS summary notes the five-year period and high initial SOC as possible context for the lack of detected changes. USDA ARS publication record.
These findings are not contradictory: they describe different soils, starting conditions, locations and study designs. Nor does the Nebraska result prove that perennial grasses never build carbon. It shows that a measurable stock gain was not detected in that comparison over its five-year window.
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Why “marginal cropland” does not predict one carbon outcome
“Marginal” is not one universal soil category. In one modeled switchgrass hydrology study, the term referred to NRCS land capability classes III and IV, which can include limitations such as erosion susceptibility, excess water, root-zone restrictions or climate. Other studies and programs may define eligible or marginal land differently. A modeled watershed scenario is not a field measurement or a universal estimate of water use. PLOS ONE study on switchgrass and marginal cropland hydrology.
Carbon response can also depend on the baseline: soil carbon already present, soil texture and drainage, erosion history, vegetation removed, establishment and ongoing management. More aboveground growth may be useful for forage, biomass or cover, but it does not automatically mean more stored soil carbon or a net climate benefit. The Oklahoma result is a reminder to account for greenhouse gases beyond carbon in soil, particularly methane and nitrous oxide.
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Consider the whole environmental outcome
Assess the goal and trade-offs together rather than using biomass or soil carbon as a stand-in for every outcome. Useful measures include:
- Soil carbon and nitrogen stocks: distinguish the amount stored from a change over time, and note the sampled depth and comparison baseline.
- Greenhouse gases: include methane and nitrous oxide as well as carbon; the Oklahoma summary reports reduced methane consumption after conversion.
- Water quality: consider nitrate losses, especially where nitrogen fertilizer or manure is applied.
- Soil protection and production: consider erosion, cover, realistic biomass or forage yield, and the intended use.
On poorly drained marginal soils, a USDA ARS summary reports that nitrogen additions through fertilizer or manure increased nitrous oxide emissions and nitrate leaching. In that specific study, yields without added nitrogen were similar for switchgrass, while Miscanthus yield was about 80% higher than switchgrass receiving nitrogen fertilizer. That comparison is study-specific; it does not establish that every perennial grass system can be managed without fertilizer. USDA ARS publication record on warm-season grasses and marginal soils.
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Choose a grass system for the site and its intended use
USDA NRCS’s E512C enhancement, dated July 2019, frames conversion as establishing perennial grassland on cropland previously used for annually seeded cash crops. Its guidance calls for deep-rooted perennial species and a site-adapted mixture containing at least 50% grasses and at least one legume. That is guidance for this conservation enhancement, not a universal prescription for every farm or program. The document includes an Idaho supplement; check current state and local recommendations and program availability. NRCS E512C guidance.
Compare candidate systems against the constraints and purpose of the field:
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- Site limits: erosion risk, drainage or excess water, root-zone restrictions, climate, soil pH and fertility, salinity, and landscape position.
- Intended use: biomass, grazing, hay or conservation cover, including realistic yield and management requirements.
- Mixture design: locally adapted grasses and legumes, their compatibility, and disease and insect resistance.
- Evidence fit: whether the result comes from a measured field comparison or a modeled scenario, and whether its timeframe matches the question being asked.
Establishment checks in NRCS E512C
For projects following this enhancement, NRCS guidance calls for state-specific recommendations and site-based preparation rather than a single planting recipe:
- Use local recommendations for planting method, rate and date. Calculate rates on a pure-live-seed basis and choose quality seed of adapted species.
- Prepare a seedbed that supports emergence, and plant when moisture is adequate.
- Base establishment nutrients or amendments on a current soil test and applicable specifications.
- Keep livestock out until plants are established. If grazing is part of the system, use a plan that allows plants to recover between grazing periods.
- Assess erosion and use the Soil Condition Index with current NRCS prediction technologies, as the enhancement directs.
NRCS states the enhancement objective as: “Establish perennial grassland mixture on cropland.” It also specifies: “Must contain at least one legume.”
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Conversion to perennial grass can improve soil carbon under some conditions, but the available findings do not justify promising a carbon gain for every marginal field. The Oklahoma sites gained soil-carbon content alongside reduced methane consumption; the Nebraska comparison found no change in SOC stocks over five years relative to its corn baseline. Define the field’s constraints and intended use, select an adapted mixture, and evaluate carbon alongside other greenhouse gases, nutrient losses and soil protection.
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