Why Are Ranchers Maintain A Healthy Environment?

Ranchers are Environmental Stewards

One controversial topic in modern society today is regarding the “ecological footprint” that people are leaving on the planet today. According to Nature, an international science journal, “The Ecological Footprint measures how fast we consume resources and generate waste compared to how fast nature can absorb our waste and generate new resources.” There are numerous tactics in which ranchers and cattlemen practice to embark on preserving a healthy environment. Unfortunately, the majority of the public does not realize the conservation efforts cattlemen practice daily. In order for the beef industry to remain profitable, it is imperative that the general public and environmental groups are educated regarding
Natural “green spaces” are protected through conservation easements in which cattlemen have collaborated with state agencies to attain a legal contract with the government to give up developmental rights on their property. For compensation, the landowner is paid money and the land must continue to be used for Agriculture purposes only. As a result, this legally helps protect a complete ecosystem that is a habitat to endangered and protected wildlife species. Many endangered animals inhabit ranch lands. According to the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, “In the eastern and central United States, wildlife is almost entirely reliant on ranch, farm, and other private lands for habitat.” While “in the west, biodiversity of species depends greatly on ranch diversity”. Many Florida ranchers plant food plots that give a food source to turkeys, deer, dove, sand hill cranes and hogs. The animals are also attracted to the wooden areas and swamp like lands on the ranch. According to the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, “biologists conclude that bird and wildlife populations thrive on lands used for cattle production”. If it were not for these ranch lands, there would be endangered animals that could become extinct and many animals without habitats. Now that we’ve analyzed ways in which ranchers protect green space and natural
A Washington State University research study states that, “each pound of beef raised today uses 14 percent less water than 30 years ago”. Cattlemen recycle water by utilizing wells, solar water troughs, and creating irrigation ponds. Another common practice is to utilize riser culverts on ranchlands to control the water supply. This allows the cattlemen to utilize the water on the ranch when needed rather than discharging to nearby rivers and lakes. According to the Florida Department of Agriculture and Services, many ranchers protect the water supply by fencing off cattle from natural water sources located on the cattlemen’s ranches. This prevents the phosphorus of the manure into getting into the surface water or groundwater. Instead of using natural water sources that could be contaminated, ranchers utilize water troughs to provide water to the livestock. Now that we’ve discussed ways that cattlemen preserve water quality, let’s now discuss how they protect soil from