On this Earth Day, I thought I would take a moment to highlight the real warriors for a healthier ag biz. Our friendly farmers and ranchers are doing the real work, one pasture, one animal, one incredibly long day at a time. Today, I celebrate the efforts of these men and women who are trying to change the way we enjoy meat, for the better.
Read MoreModern day grass-fed ranchers are not your run of the mill luddites resisting progress. Grass-fed beef is a tough business. Less than 5% of the market, it’s expensive to raise, complicated to manage, and hard to process. It would be a lot easier to raise cattle for nine months on the same pasture, and then sell them to a feedlot. But Seth has chosen a different path.
Read MoreBeef consumption per capital in the US has decreased dramatically over the last 40 years from almost 100 lbs. per person in the 70s, to about 55 lbs. per individual in 2015. If beef were such a telltale of cardiovascular risk, and its consumption has gone down, shouldn’t we see rates of obesity and type 2 diabetes also going down? Instead, they’re accelerating.
Read MoreThe feedlot became popular in the 1950s and 60s. With soaring beef demand, surplus subsidized grain, and cheap growth hormones and antibiotics, American ranchers turned away from the millennia-old habit of raising free-range cattle on open grassland, and instead replaced it with faster, more predictable, and more profitable mechanized feedlots. The concept caught on quickly.
Read MoreYet again, cattle are considered the top cause of environmental disaster. This time, it’s rain-forest destruction. And I have to admit, the data is terrifying. Referenced accounts suggest 50-75% of all clear-cutting in Brazil goes to grazing lands. Although deforestation levels are down overall, they spiked this last year, turning 3,000 square miles into mulch.
Read MoreCattle have been scapegoated (scape-cowed) as the root of all agricultural and healthcare evils for more than half a century. Ask your circle of friends which food is most responsible for society’s downfall, and they’d probably say Bessie the cow. Progressive acquaintances often say to me apologetically, “I eat meat occasionally,” but quickly follow up with the asterisk, “just not beef.” Beef has become ground zero for what’s wrong with the planet and our American diet.
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