重新整合土地和牲畜

Beef often comes with a high price tag, and not just at the cash register. 虽然牛肉生产系统很复杂, 我们吃牛肉的习惯, 整体, 造成了617888九五至尊娱乐的破坏, 水, 空气, 和土壤, 以及许多美国人的饮食相关疾病. 因为这些和其他问题, an increasing number of experts have recommended reducing beef consumption to improve our health and environment.

But eating less beef isn't the only way to mitigate the negative impacts. Looking more closely at beef production can help us identify additional solutions—ones that start with the soil, 支持农民, 并为所有人带来好处.

重新整合土地和牲畜 focuses on one part of the beef production system: the vast acres of crops, 以玉米为主, 它们提供了廉价而可靠的牛饲料, but which are produced in a way that degrades soil and 水, 需要大量施肥, 并危及许多农场的长期生存能力. Our analysis shows that it is possible to profitably transform this underlying industrial crop system that is so tightly intertwined with US beef production while minimizing harmful environmental impacts. This transformation can start with converting small portions of today’s farms to more diverse farming systems that integrate livestock as well as regenerative crop and grazing practices.

We found that farmers who want to introduce livestock and diversify their crops can do so profitably in many instances. 根据我们的分析, conversions that involved as little as one-third of a 1000-acre farm led to an increase in farmers’ profits under all scenarios except one (a relatively extreme reference case), with increased profits in the other scenarios ranging from $11 to $298 per acre. The study found that there could be significant environmental benefits per acre as well, 包括增加土壤碳, 减少农场化肥排放, 减少水足迹.

通过采用综合系统, 农民可以促进土壤健康, 减少他们的用水和水污染, 维持或增加他们的利润. 目前, these systems would likely produce less beef per acre—so that scaling them up may reduce total beef production, 或者需要更多的土地. But additional investments in research and technical support for regenerative practices would very likely continue to improve their outcomes. Coupled with efforts to reduce many Americans’ red meat consumption in alignment with science-based nutrition guidelines, these production systems could help the nation achieve a healthy and sustainable balance. The report offers policy recommendations to help 支持农民 and researchers take steps towards this future.