Modern businesses, farms, and families are becoming increasingly concerned with the environmental consequences of farming and the destruction of habitats for our planet’s wildlife, and many strive to be environmentally friendly and conscious in their day-to-day decisions. “Environmentally friendly”, “Sustainable”, and “Eco-friendly” are all labels we see on products in an effort to persuade us to purchase.
While many are concerned about metrics like carbon footprints and other resources used in agriculture and food transport, an often overlooked environmental factor is the effect of farming on wildlife. For example, it’s become trendy in recent years to reduce meat consumption or altogether forgo eating meat due to concerns about resources used. The truth is that eating meat has an environmental impact, but it doesn’t have to be a negative impact. Local, grass fed beef has a net negative carbon footprint. Read more about that here. Let’s talk about the impact of conventional and organic farming on the environment directly, the consequences felt by wildlife and local ecologies.
Conventional vs. Organic Farming
Stunning view of our cows next to the garden.
In the United States, “organic” is a term and label regulated by the USDA and includes several key qualifiers a food producer must meet in order to proudly display the label. For example, a product must be free of:
Additives
Synthetic pesticides
Herbicides
Fertilizers
Be non-GMO
Additionally, for meat to be classified as organic, the USDA requires “animals must be raised in living conditions accommodating their natural behaviors (like the ability to graze on pasture), fed 100% organic feed and forage, and not administered antibiotics or hormones.”
Our farm practices go beyond organic by practicing rotational grazing and feeding our cows a 100% grass-fed and grass-finished diet. This means that we have a significantly reduced environmental impact compared to conventional feedlot beef operations that utilize imported grain and pesticides and other toxicants. All of these choices and practices have an effect on the local ecology and wildlife, for better or worse.
Effects on Wildlife
Pair of Canadian Geese taking a gander atop our silo.
Habitat loss and pesticide use are the two biggest drivers of wildlife decline, so we can’t ignore the harm caused to wildlife by conventional agriculture, even if these farms claim to be “environmentally friendly” because they are producing corn and soy instead of meat and dairy.
A common argument against meat consumption and production is that growing livestock feed (corn and soy) is a significant cause of habitat loss, an argument that seeks to equate meat eating with the destruction of natural habitat for much of wildlife across the globe. The truth is complicated because not all meat production is the same. Our organic, 100% grass-fed and grass-finished beef farm is a haven for wildlife, and this is often true of organic farms because they seek to work in harmony with the natural world.
“Images of recently cleared grassland areas from North Dakota where rates of grassland conversion to corn and soy are the highest in the country. Stripping grassland landscapes bare removes natural buffers, increases soil erosion, and exacerbates the risk of fertiliser pollution from crops planted in these areas.” – Mighty Earth Mystery Meat 2 Report 2017.
One of the leading causes of grassland conversion (and therefore habitat loss) is the demand for corn and soy. Rainforests, grasslands, and other large, fertile swaths of land across the world are mowed down daily to plant lucrative corn and soy cash crops. A large portion of this corn and soy goes to livestock feed, for poultry, beef, and pork farms. This is very unfortunate because these forests and wild lands that serve the wildlife may never return to their full beauty. In this way, our farm doesn’t contribute to habitat loss because we are organic and 100% grass-fed. By stewarding the land well and feeding our cows a species appropriate diet, we also make room for the native species to continue living and thriving.
Environmentally-oriented organizations have acknowledged the dramatic benefit of organic farming on wildlife surrounding farms:
“Organic farming boosts biodiversity at every level of the food chain. For instance, the chemicals that kill insects, weeds or fungal diseases, which then accumulate in the food chain as birds and other animals eat the affected insects, are not used. Instead, balanced wildlife populations encourage birds and beneficial insects to control pests, diseases are reduced using crop rotations, and mechanical weeding or natural suppressants eliminate weeds....Organic practices and adopting wildlife-friendly management of habitats could be a solution to the current biodiversity crisis.” - formerly tend revolution dot com
In conclusion, all agriculture will have an effect on the wildlife and ecology in which it is practiced. We have great opportunities to support and take care of our local environment through the choices we make and the farms we support.