We live in a world of misinformation, and the U.S. beef industry has seen its share. Those in the Florida and U.S. ag industry are not just stewards of the land; we all also have to be advocates for the industry. One of the main problems, according to the experts at UF/IFAS, is that many myths perpetuated about the U.S. beef industry use global data. The fact is that U.S. beef ranchers work within one of “the most efficient and sustainable systems in the world;” that’s something to celebrate, to perpetuate, and to use as a model. The next time you need to put on your “ag-vocate” hat, use this information compiled by UF/IFAS to support the US beef industry.
Beef Industry Facts and Myths
Myth: Beef production increases methane, a greenhouse gas, and contributes to global climate change.
Fact: The methane that cattle emit is part of a natural carbon cycle; emitted methane takes about a dozen years to break down and become carbon dioxide; it’s then absorbed by plants and is available in grasses and feeds. This is very different from burning coal, oil, or gas, which is carbon that has been underground for millions of years.
According to data from the USDA ARS and EPA, cited by UF/IFAS, “Greenhouse gas emissions per kilogram of beef are down 34% since the 1970s, and all beef cattle in the U.S. account for just about 3.7% of the country’s total greenhouse gas emissions—a fraction compared to transportation and energy.”
Myth: Cattle production is the cause of deforestation.
Fact: This may be true in other parts of the world, but in the U.S., cattle are grazing on pastures and rangeland that are established and that have little value for crops or for other uses; no one is clear-cutting forests to create pastureland for beef cattle in the U.S. Data cited by UF/IFAS shared that “U.S. ranchers produce 20% more beef today using 15% fewer cattle than they did 50 years ago.”
Myth: Beef production uses too much water.
Fact: Beef cattle require water like any other animal, and the plants they feed on need water also. However, claims that “beef uses 1,800 gallons of water per pound” doesn’t include the fact that most of the water used by beef cattle and their feed comes from rainwater. UF cited USGS data to advise that “when we look at actual irrigation and processing water—the kind that matters in water supply planning—U.S. beef uses about 400 to 800 gallons per pound.”
Myth: Beef grazing takes away from open spaces and native ecosystems.
Fact: The majority of beef production occurs on land that evolved with grazing animals, and cattle help fill the void once filled by teeming herds of bison and other grazers. In Florida, UF/IFAS cited research from the Archbold Biological Station and UF, published in the Journal of Wildlife Management, 2021, in maintaining that “moderate grazing helps preserve native plant communities and provides habitat for species like the endangered Florida grasshopper sparrow. Grazing helps prevent overgrowth of dense grasses and keeps the land open—conditions many native birds and pollinators rely on.”
The Bottom Line
In the US, beef cattle production supports environmental goals like climate mitigation and soil conservation through capturing and storing carbon, preserving wild spaces, focusing on water purity, promoting biodiversity, and more. Supporting the beef industry is an ecologically-friendly move.