Economic, social, and environmental impacts of cattle on grazing land ecosystems

Abstract

• Sustainable beef is a socially responsible, environmentally sound, and economically viable product that prioritizes planet, people, animals, and progress. Beef sustainability requires awareness of the complex relationships among these three pillars. • In practice, sustainability to beef farmers and ranchers is about taking care of the animals, land, and water, while being a good neighbor and community member, and maintaining profitability. The beef industry has made improvements across these three areas of sustainability, in all sectors of the industry, from the cow-calf level to the packer phase. • The removal of beef cattle from grazing lands would effectively eliminate the beef industry, which would have a ripple effect on other industries that serve as input suppliers across the beef supply chain, while also eliminating critical social, economic, and environmental services provided by grazing cattle. • We describe the science on the economic, social, and environmental benefits of grazing cattle on grazing lands, and discuss the sustainability impacts of eliminating the beef industry in the U.S. © 2021