Activists think they know more about farming that those of us who produce the grain and meat that is the backbone of our food supply. Use these stats to counter their arguments. Myth: The US food supply is unsafe. Myth: CAFOs are major polluters and are inhumane for animals.
Myth: Agriculture is accelerating global warming; eating less meat will slow global warming
Facts:
About 85% of U.S. grazing lands are unsuitable for producing crops. Grazing animals on this land more than doubles the area that can be used to produce food.
Livestock only contribute 3 percent of U.S. GHG emissions according to the EPA.
A grain-based system of cattle production has a low environmental impact and lower methane emissions
Facts: The US has one of the safest food supplies n the world. Everyone involved in bringing your food from the farm to your plate has keeping your food safe as a top priority.
Facts:
Farmers and Ranchers are the original environmentalists. If we aren't good to the land and our animals we're out of business. Land that is devoid of nutients won't produce crops, and most family farms can't afford to fertilize land to make it fertile again. If animals aren't handled in a respectful way, they are stressed, don't grow and the quality of meat can be reduced.
We take pride in caring for their animals, ensuring they always have room to roam and grow, access to clean water, a balanced and nutritious diet and humane treatment at all stages of life. Producers work with veterinarians and nutritionists to make sure cattle are healthy. Many of these principles are contained in the Beef Quality Assurance guidelines followed by beef producers.
Experts like nutritionists and environmental engineers are used to ensure beef producers are good stewards of their cattle and of the land. Each animal gets the attention it needs and every animal is checked daily. Learn more about the Beef Quality Assuance Program.
Myth: Animal agriculture relies heavily on antibiotics and is contributing to antibiotic resistance in human pathogens.
Facts:
Beef producers use antibiotics judiciously to treat animals that become sick and to ensure optimum health of animals in our care. Resistant bacteria are due to antibiotic misuse in humans, not animals. No connection has been found between antibiotic use in cattle and antibiotic-resistant foodborne or other pathogens. Antibiotics are an important tool to prevent, control and treat disease in cattle, and healthy cattle are the foundation of safe food
Myth: Local, organic, grass-fed and/or other niche products are the only way we can feed the population sustainably.
Facts:
The appropriate use of technology and management creativity allows farmers and ranchers to feed the world with increasingly smaller numbers of farmers and ranchers. Today's farm feeds 144 people. That number will need to double by the year 2050 according to the UN's Food and Agriculture Organization.
In the past 25 years, U.S. farmers have been able to boost corn prod
uction by more than 40% due to improved varieties, better production practices and equipment advances, all while reducing their environmental impact. These and other similar advances have enabled hundreds of people, especially in developing countries, to greatly improve their diets.
Farmers won't be able to feed the world without advancements in biotechnology and other areas to increase efficiency.
Beef producers invest not only their business life but the entirety of their experience to producing good products while sustaining our communities, our resources and our enterprises
Myth: Americans are eating too much meat; modern food production encourages obesity. Hundreds of millions of people will want to shift to the same calorie-heavy, protein-rich diet that has made Americans so unhealthy. Corn helps produce that marbled taste many of us love, but it can result in beef that is higher in fat — helping to fuel the obesity epidemic.
Facts:
There are 29 lean cuts of beef, providing consumers ample choices for high-quality, lean protein.
Consumers are NOT over-consuming protein. (We are well within Dietary Guideline recommendations.) Beef should be included in a healthy diet. Eating protein in the morning is an important component of satiation and results in the consumption of fewer calories later in the day.
Myth: Clint Eastwood is a vegan.
Facts:
Despite what you might have read on Wikipedia, or in propaganda from PETA, Mr. Eastwood is not a vegan, and he looked slightly aghast when told exactly what a vegan is. “I never look at the Internet for just that reason,” he said in a New York Times Interview.
Want to learn more? Check out these resources
Beef Production
Conversations with a bioscientist
UCDavis thoughts on Climate Change
Understanding the beef you eat--what's the story on hormones?
