U.S. Beef Cattle Production Becoming More Sustainable

Aug 19, 2013

U.S. Beef Cattle Production Becoming More Sustainable

By Amanda Brodhagen, Farms.com

A new assessment reveals that the sustainability of U.S. beef production has improved significantly from 2005 to 2011.

The findings were released at a Cattle Industry Summer Conference held in Denver, Colo., earlier this month. The assessment was check-off-funded, which looked at the social, economic and environmental impacts of producing beef in the United States.

Inputs and outputs related to producing a pound of beef were examined. The findings suggest that the beef industry is becoming more innovative and efficient. The completed life cycle assessment (LCA) took into consideration the entire value chain of production. Additionally, the assessment sought out historical data from the 1970s, 2005 and 20011 when determining overall sustainability improvement.

Key findings from 2005-2011:

•Environmental impacts reduced by 7%;
•Sustainability has improved by 5%;
•Greenhouse gas emissions reduced by 2%;
•Water emissions reduced by 10%;
•Water usage decreased by 3%;
•Reduced resource consumption by 2%

Video: Evolution of Beef Cattle Farming

The Clear Conversations podcast took to the road for a special episode recorded in Nashville during CattleCon, bringing listeners straight into the heart of the cattle industry. Host Tracy Sellers welcomed rancher Steve Wooten of Beatty Canyon Ranch in Colorado for a wide-ranging discussion that blended family history and sustainability, particularly as it relates to the future of beef production.

Sustainability emerged as a central theme of the conversation, a word that Wooten acknowledges can mean very different things depending on who you ask. For him, sustainability starts with the soil. Healthy soil produces healthy grass, which supports efficient cattle capable of producing year after year with minimal external inputs. It’s an approach that equally considers vegetation, animal efficiency, and long-term profitability.

That philosophy aligned naturally with Wooten’s involvement in the U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, where he served as a representative for the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association. The roundtable brings together the entire beef supply chain—from producers to retailers—along with universities, NGOs, and allied industries. Its goal is not regulation, Wooten emphasized, but collaboration, shared learning, and continuous improvement.