A major report from the United Nations focuses on the key role of our food and land use in fighting climate change. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change says agriculture, forestry and other land uses produce nearly half of the world’s methane emissions, a greenhouse gas that also comes from cows.

But many ranchers argue the cow-climate change connection is overblown. One study says going vegan for a year reduces your carbon footprint by half as much as avoiding a single flight to Europe. Rancher Brandi Buzzard says the cattle she raises for beef are part of the solution to climate change, not the problem.

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“When cattle graze on grass pastures, they are actually improving the grass and what they’re grazing on,” she said. “We are doing everything we…