Conventional beef production — less environmental impact
(Summary Source - Drovers News, Friday, March 06, 2009)
For years, beef producers and most consumers, as well as scientists from all over the world, including the World Health Organization, recognized that growth promotants used in beef production not only improved efficiency but also were safe for both the environment and beef consumers. The Hudson Institute's Center for Global Food Issues recently conducted an in-depth environmental impact analysis of an Iowa State University study comparing two production methods — conventional, grain-based beef production using growth-promoting technologies and organic, grass-only beef production. The results were surprising, especially for the environmentalists who would like to believe an often-cited 2006 United Nations Food and Agriculture Report that claims beef production — and all livestock production, for that matter — are primary contributors to greenhouse gas emissions. The CFGI scientific analysis found that conventional beef production methods are more environmentally friendly than organic, grass-only production.
The ISU study found that because of increased production efficiency that growth promotants deliver, conventional production systems are three times more land-efficient than the organic, grass-only system and reduce greenhouse gas emissions more than 40 percent. By utilizing safe, FDA-approved technologies, beef producers actually are producing more pounds of beef per acre of land and are significantly reducing the amount of CO2-equivalent emissions from methane gas produced by cattle. Producing more food with less land is critical when we consider the burgeoning world population, world hunger and increasing world demand for beef and other animal proteins.
According to a 2008 paper by Searchinger et al. in Science magazine, clearing additional land for agriculture causes the release of significant CO2 emissions from the soil and lost forest growth. These researchers estimate that each acre of land cleared for food production results in 10,400 pounds per acre per year of CO2-equivalent greenhouse gases over the subsequent 30 years (based on estimated emissions from each type of land converted to cultivation in the 1990s). Using data from Iowa State University's Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture, the Hudson Institute analysis demonstrates that conventional, grain-based beef production's three-fold greater land use efficiency over organic, grass-based finishing results in even lower overall greenhouse gas emissions than directly attributable to beef production.
EPA scientists recognize that beef production contributes only 2 percent of the total U.S. greenhouse gas emissions compared to 80 percent for fossil fuel consumption. This recent ISU/CFGI research shows us that by maximizing production efficiency by using safe, available growth-enhancing technologies, we can minimize emissions even more. Growth promotants help make food more affordable for consumers and help the beef industry and consumers have an even greater positive impact on the environment. Increased production efficiency means more beef per acre of land, which means fewer acres will need to be cleared for cultivation, and lower greenhouse gas emissions.
Download the CFGI Analysis here or it is also available at the following link - http://www.cgfi.org/2008/04/21/the-environmental-safety-and-benefits-of-growth-enhancing-pharmaceutical-technologies-in-beef-production/
Download the ISU Report here or it is also available at the following link - http://www.iowabeefcenter.org/content/Organic_Natural_Grass_Fed_Beef_2006.pdf
Note - According to Dr. Lawrence, the ISU study looked at farm level economics of switching from convention to natural, grass-fed or organic in a retained ownership program on the farm level. Other studies utilized the ISU coefficients to estimate the difference in Green House Gas (GHG) emissions. Of note, the research that models GHG emissions does not approve of the methods that were used in the ISU calculations. Also, the Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture which funded the ISU farm level modeling study is also funding research of the GHG of the systems by a researcher that does GHG research. Dr. Lawrence and his colleagues are advisers on this study which is expected to be published in a peer reviewed journal before the results are released.