Did you know that supporting ranches can benefit the environment? Ecological conservation is intrinsically connected to agriculture through land stewardship that can either benefit or harm ecosystems. In many cases, cattle can help to restore degraded grasslands and/or rangelands that are unsuitable for crops. For context, <4% of land globally is suitable for crop production without intensive use of water and/or chemical inputs.
Popularized by Allan Savory, holistic management involves the movement of cattle or other livestock across a landscape that mimics how native wildlife graze. This translates to highly intensive, short-duration grazing on one pasture (or section of pasture) before moving the herd to the next. Depending on the operation, other techniques can be incorporated as well. Oftentimes in a “regenerative” paradigm, there is a focus on increasing soil organic matter and native plant diversity.
Bison are large native ruminants that roamed almost the entire modern-day US just a few hundred years ago. Today, few wild bison remain compared to numbers before the US was settled by white people. In many ways, cattle can fulfill this missing niche in grasslands by providing the necessary disturbances of hooves and grazing that these ecosystems evolved with. Cattle are grazed on private and public grasslands/rangelands in the West.
Cattle and other ruminants turn plant biomass that is indigestible to humans (i.e. cellulose, found in grasses, legumes, and other forbes) into nutrient-dense protein that feeds the growing human population. Cattle that are grass-fed often require little outside feed inputs. Over 90% of the necessary water for these animals comes from rainwater. Everything we consume has an environmental impact, yet crops often require far more inputs than livestock. As a reminder, grain-fed cattle still spend over 2/3 of their lives on grass.
Crops such as almonds, avocados, etc. require an immense amount of irrigated water, nutrient, and pesticide inputs. These farms are often intensive monocultures that support little biodiversity above or below ground. As most of the country is unsuitable for growing these crops (even with high inputs of water and nutrients), they must be shipped from CA all over the country for consumption. Beef can often be sourced locally, and overall has fewer inputs and miles to travel to get to the consumer. That being said, crop production is also vital to agriculture, and supporting farmers is equally as important as supporting ranchers.
As consumers, we have some power over what kinds of operations we decide to support. Sourcing sustainable/local food options is a great way to become more conscious about the environmental impact of your food. While not everyone eats meat (side note: no “diet” is deathless), many people do. Not everyone can afford local options given the price premium often associated with these foods, and there is no shame in buying meat from the grocery store! It is affordable, safe, and consistent.
This is simply food for thought, and I hope that you will, when you can, think about supporting local agriculture to benefit yourself, your family, the environment, and the workers in agriculture who work hard to feed us every day. To check out ranches that practice holistic methods, I recommend looking into Alderspring Ranch (ID), Ranchlands (CO, NM, TX, WY), Little Creek Lamb & Beef (MT), Pitchfork Ranch (WY), King Ranch (TX), and Cienega Ranch (AZ). And there are many more!
All photos were taken in Harney County, Oregon