A diet that substitutes grass fed meat for factory farmed meat reduces emissions by lessening the amount of land, water and energy needed to produce the meat, as well as needing less drugs. The amount of land and water needed to grow meat is reduced by grass fed operations because factory farms need to use grains to feed livestock. The grains must be watered and fertilized then processed and shipped to the location of the farm greatly increasing the amount of land, water and energy needed to produce the meat. Also, land that is unsuitable for traditional crops can be turned into heathy pastures increasing the total amount of food we can produce for ourselves. Responsible Farmers A responsible farmer can calculate the amount of nitrogen each field can absorb and how much nitrogen the average animal will create with their waste each day and adjust their grazing patterns accordingly. These calculations eliminate waste runoff pollution and fertilize the pastures. Ranchers can prevent the desertification of pastures by managing their herds to exploit the natural rhythms of grass. Grass growth follows an S curve. The growth after being grazed once starts out slow, but after a few days of initial recovery it starts to increase rapidly. As the grass starts to bloom and produce seed the curve flattens, usually around 14 days from the first bite. Ideally each pasture is grazed right at the top of its blaze of growth to maximize the growth it will yield in a year by moving livestock from one small pasture to another as they become mature, never letting the animals eat from grass that has not had a chance to recover and thus degrading it. In nature you always find birds following herbivories. The egret perches on rhinos and the turkeys trail after bison. The birds dine on insects that would overwise bother the herbivore. They also pickup insect lave and parasites breaking the cycle of infection and disease. Farmers can reduce diseases and parasites by grazing poultry where herbivores have recently been mimicking nature’s cycle. Conclusion
The heavy use of antibiotics on industrial farms is not necessary on well-run, pastured operations. The animals’ rotations, as well as the use of poultry in fields that the herbivores have passed through to forage for insects and parasites attracted by cow waste, greatly limit disease. Grass fed farmers often don't need to treat their livestock with de worming agent or parasiticides. If you live in a place that does not have land that is well suited for row crops, eating local pastured meat could be better for the Environment than becoming a vegetarian who eats many imported foods which must be transported hundreds of miles consuming fossil fuels. Resources https://extension.psu.edu/grass-fed-beef-production Pollan, Michael. The Omnivore's Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals. Penguin Books, 2016. Foer, Jonathan Safran. We Are the Weather: Saving the Planet Begins at Breakfast. Penguin Books, 2020. https://www.ams.usda.gov/sites/default/files/media/Organic%20Livestock%20Requirements.pdf
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AuthorI am a high school student who is creating her own blog for the first time for school about our food system and environmental issues Archives
May 2022
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