By: Kiran J.
Veganism cannot be the solution. The ongoing soap opera surrounding the environmental impact of beef in the US is a product of many social, political and economic factors that have been ingrained into our society for centuries. Thus, it would only make sense that the solution is not a simple diet change.
There are only a couple of advantages to beef consumption: supporting farmers and nutrition in the American diets. Nutrition wise, red meat is a great source of iron and other nutrients, as long as you’re not consuming it more than three times per week. More importantly, though, it’s affordable to the American population. This is because it’s so widely produced. In 2019, cattle and corn were among the top 10 largest sources of cash receipts from the sale of US-produced agricultural commodities. This shows how dominant cattle and corn are in the US’s agriculture industry. However, given that 36% of corn produced is used to feed cattle, it can be said that a lot of the agriculture industry revolves around cattle production. The beef industry employs close to a million people, not including the industries involved in the packaging, distribution and supply of resources to grow the cattle. This said, many livelihoods would be destroyed if all of the US suddenly went vegan.
Our dependence on the cattle industry is outweighed by the need for change as a result of the increasing negative environmental impacts of the cattle industry. Startlingly, cow burps alone make up an entire 2% of US greenhouse gas emissions. The cattle industry produces 25% of the US’s total agricultural emissions and around 41% of US land is used for grazing. This industry is also a major cause of deforestation, for instance cattle grazing accounts for around 80% of deforestation in the Amazon. To put the cherry on top, none of these statistics account for the added impact of producing feed, supplying water, and transporting the beef produced.
When there are so many less harmful and healthier meats, why is beef still the second most consumed meat in the US?
It started during the Great Depression. Farmers were faced with the challenge of having a large supply of crops but no consumers who could afford their produce. Lowering the prices of their crops only meant that the farmers themselves would not make enough money. Growing more produce only resulted in a surplus, lowering the value of their crops.
An effective solution came about when Franklin D. Roosevelt introduced the Agricultural Adjustment Act, now known as the Farm Bill. Its goal was to keep prices low enough for consumers while making sure that farmers could still make money. It accomplished this through policies of crop insurance, direct payments to the farmers and minimum crop prices.
70% of these subsidies are directed towards corn, wheat and soybeans, making these some of the most produced crops in the US.
So, where does beef come in? With an increase in corn production, new industries for corn were created, such as ethanol production, high fructose corn syrup, and, most importantly, livestock feed. Given the abundance of corn, it was the cheaper option for farmers to feed their livestock with and did not require them to lease land for grass grazing. Corn allowed cattle to reach their market weight in half the time as grass, enabling farmers to keep up with the rising demand for beef in the increasing US population.
These advantages combined with new and more efficient corn farming technologies resulted in corn soon becoming the primary feed grain- today it accounts for 95% of total feed grain production and use in the US. This dynamic is reflected in other countries, where, as a country becomes more developed, the demand for beef increases, especially if the population is still increasing.
The abundance and availability of corn made it easier for farmers to raise cattle; between the late 1940s-70s, the number of cattle in the US rose from 10 million to over 45 million. Consequently, beef was readily available and affordable to the American population and came at an ideally low cost for businesses such as McDonalds and Burger King to make a profit. It would be an understatement to say that these businesses encouraged the over consumption of beef- they shaped the American diet.
With the corn subsidies having shaped our economy and these businesses having shaped our culture, one can see that cattle farming and consumption is central to American culture. This is why going vegan is not the solution to our beef problem. Policy and change in social attitudes are needed to re-shape our culture and diets. We can push to begin redistributing subsidies to support other, more environmentally friendly, crops such as legumes and vegetables. This would result in a slight decrease in the supply of beef and a slight increase in the supply of other crops, effectively increasing the price of beef and lowering the price of other crops. Evening these prices out will make more environmentally friendly crops more affordable to the population, incentivizing people to purchase them. This would decrease our collective carbon footprint.
Photo from: University of Michigan Center for Sustainable Systems
The average American consumes at least five servings of red meat per week. Red meat accounts for 11% of the average American’s yearly carbon footprint- this number does not even account for the amount of other greenhouse gases produced through the processes of cattle farming (emissions from transportation, methane from cow burps, growing livestock feed). By individually decreasing our red meat intake by even one serving per week, we can reduce our collective carbon footprint significantly.
Incremental changes are the key. No one has to cut out meat entirely; simply begin to reduce your meat intake by one serving per week. This goes for more than just red meat. Work on replacing meat with legumes and calorie dense fruits and vegetables to reduce the harm caused by beef and ending the stigma that environmentalists have towards red meat being the be all and end all of CO2 emissions.
Pressure should be placed on lawmakers and farmers, as well as the consumer. We need to distribute subsidies more evenly, towards crops other than corn, soybeans and wheat, in order to encourage farmers to grow a wider range of products. This, in turn, will make vegetables and legumes more affordable to the population. If accessible, purchasing beef from sustainable farms can also encourage better environmental practices. Farmers need to be made aware of their environmental impact and the large influence they have on the American diet. To make sustainable farming a widespread reality, farmers need to be provided with proper funding and technology in order to effectively make this transition.
Discussion Questions:
How would you go about convincing people to begin to adopt more environmentally friendly foods within their diet?
Why do you think the argument for reducing our carbon footprint through beef is so black and white (eg. people think that either everyone needs to go vegan or that going vegan makes no difference)?
Bibliography:
Carbon Footprint Factsheet | Center for Sustainable Systems. (2019). University of Michigan Center for Sustainable Systems. http://css.umich.edu/factsheets/carbon-footprint-factsheet
Christen, C. (2021b, April 24). Meat Consumption in the U.S. Is Growing at an Alarming Rate. Sentient Media. https://sentientmedia.org/meat-consumption-in-the-us/
Davis, C. G. (2021, May 3). USDA ERS - Sector at a Glance. USDA Economic Research Service. https://www.ers.usda.gov/topics/animal-products/cattle-beef/sector-at-a-glance/
Fast Facts About Agriculture & Food - The Voice of Agriculture - American Farm Bureau Federation. (2019). Farm Bureau. https://www.fb.org/newsroom/fast-facts
Foley, J. (2013, March 5). It’s Time to Rethink America’s Corn System. Scientific American. https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/time-to-rethink-corn/
Johnson, A. E. (Host), Blumberg, A. (Host). (2021, March 3). The Beef With Beef (No. 33) [Audio podcast episode]. In How To Save A Planet. Gimlet. https://gimletmedia.com/shows/howtosaveaplanet/94hrd52
McConnell, M. (2021, March 5). USDA ERS - Feedgrains Sector at a Glance. USDA Economic Research Service. https://www.ers.usda.gov/topics/crops/corn-and-other-feedgrains/feedgrains-sector-at-a-glance/
USDA ERS - FAQs. (2021, May 12). USDA Economic Research Service. https://www.ers.usda.gov/faqs/