As a child, I always dreaded the long, hot summer days that my dad spent cleaning out the cattle lots. And I especially didn't enjoy riding along in the tractor that pulled the manure spreader. Why did he do this? All it did was stink up the yard! Little did I realize he was doing ourselves a favor. Not only did the cattle lots stay clean, but the fields also got fertilized. Although I didn't know what this meant as only a five-year-old, my dad was actually practicing sustainability.
The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines sustainability as, "able to be used without being completely used up or destroyed; involving methods that do not completely use up or destroy natural resources." Now-a-days, the word sustainability is commonly used within many different fields, especially when focusing on environmental efforts. In particular, this word is heard a lot more in the beef industry these days. Some of the nation's largest buyers of beef are heavily focused on the topic, and it's one that won't go away anytime soon.
According an article featured in American Cattlemen, the sustainability effort, as it relates to beef, is "about doing things right, making things more efficient, improving public image, and reducing the cost of doing business" ("Beef Industry Sustainability"). As a result, the beef checkoff agreed to fund the Beef Industry Sustainability Assessment. Through this assessment, principles and criteria are developed to define sustainable beef for producers around the world ("Beef Industry Sustainability"). Whether it's choosing a new bull with better performance, improving pastures, replacing a piece of equipment with one that is more efficient, all these practices have the ability to impact sustainability.
However, any time big players within the industry step into the game, things can quickly become confusing and messy. Beef buyers such as McDonald's plan to source verified sustainable beef by 2016, and Walmart is also developing plans to ensure the sustainability of its beef supply chain ("Beef Industry Sustainability"). Therefore, efforts to assure sustainability within the beef industry are a top priority. Along with these efforts, however, come negative perceptions about the topic of beef sustainability.
As a future livestock advocate, it is important to clear up negative perceptions others may have about topics within the industry. The concept of beef industry sustainability isn't a new one on my farm or most other operations either. For those of us who've been in the business for generations, the concept of sustainability simply translates as "running our business business in a responsible manner that allows us to pass the operation along to the next generation" ("Beef Industry Sustainability"). We want the best for our future children and to leave the land in a better condition than it was when we took over it.
To Read the Full Article:
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| http://www.americancattlemen.com/articles/beef-industry-sustainability |
It is a very interesting article. I grew up in the city and know nothing about farming. However, now I can understand it more. Farmers have to work hard to manage a sustainable land. Your article has educated me. It's important to know what happens behind the scenes, now I know why beef can be expensive sometimes.
ReplyDeleteMegan, I appreciate and respect your desire and love of the agriculture industry! It is refreshing to witness the generations of passionate farming/ranching families. Your explanation of 'sustainability' gave me a better insight on what my parents and neighbors have been doing all these years. Your blog was informative, interesting, and laid-out very well!
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