Sustainable pastured beef at Clagett Farm
Those of you who read this blog regularly know what we think of “Meatless Monday.” There’s hardly been a more idiotic idea to come down the pike than the one that would have us give up eating meat because of climate change. There are so many other ways to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, why would we want to eliminate one of our best sources of nutrition: meat?
Yet the food policy blogs are utterly infested with the notion that we should become more vegetarian in order to save the planet. Personally, I think we would be better off eating a steak, then walking to work instead of driving. How about using less electricity from coal-fired power plants? Or, you could sign on to Prince Charles’ effort to preserve the Amazon rain forest.
And no one seems concerned with the idea of pushing millions of people onto a more grain-oriented diet when we already have a raging obesity epidemic. (You can be sure it’s not the meat making people fat, but the carbs.)
Now comes Eliot Coleman, the renowned organic vegetable grower from Maine, who, along with Wendell Berry and Gene Logsdon, is one of the voices on agriculture we most respect. In response to a recent column in Grist, Coleman mounts a mighty defense of meat eating. It’s not the meat, he says, so much as the modern industrial methods that are used to raise it that should concern us. Instead of feeding beef corn grown with artificial fertilizers and pesticides, try pastured beef. Land set aside for grass actually stores carbon in the ground. We recently spent part of a day touring Clagget Farm, owned by the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, where a small herd of beef cattle form a perfectly sustainable component of an integrated organic food operation.
As Coleman noted, the American landscape was once populated by billions of buffalo who grazed at will and did not seem to trigger any global warming incidents. In fact, the worst polluters are humans. Should we get rid of us?
We are engaging the concerns of a hungry planet--slowly--right here in our kitchen garden in the District of Columbia, about a mile from the White House.
Given that the average American isn’t going to go out of their way to buy pastured meat, I think “meatless Monday” does have some merit. People (I myself) aren’t willing or able to pay the premium price for responsibly raised meats all the time as well. For myself I’ve found it easier to eat vegetarian more. In terms of climate change, wouldn’t it be better to adopt the lesser offender (agri-grown veggies) than the greater (CAFO meats)?
I think that Eliot’s point is well taken, but I think that you take the conclusion too far. There are a few things that I take issue with and don’t have time to fully flesh out an argument so let me just list them.
1. if we want to replace our beef system with purely grassfed (something I highly endorse) we will indeed be looking at a hefty price increase, even incorporating fantastic innovations of grass farmers.
2. we actually grow more cattle than best estimates of bison populations, but on the same order.
3. endorsing meatless mondays is not synonymous with endorsing grain-based diets. vegetarian diets are simply what one makes of them.
4. the reality is that the current meat producing system is industrial and wasteful, so reducing our consumption does indeed reduce global warming gases as this currently contributes as much as the entire automotive sector. referring to this as “idiotic” is overly dismissive.
5. and while the Taubes hypothesis and review of carbs is excellent ( I am in the middle of it right now) it also is a single work of scientific and there are numerous counterpoints to the excellence of meat based diets. again, lowering meat consumption does not mean that one should recommend a high carb diet. This not the only food consumption axis to consider.
However, all that said, I think that we both want the same outcome: pastured, non-grain-fed beef; lower “simple carb” consumption by people; sustainable agriculture all around; people cooking their own food.
Brett, I think the way the issue has been framed is utterly simple-minded. The alternative to industrial meat isn’t eating veganism, it’s raising meat more sustainably, which rules out CAFOs and industrial grains. This is a more nuanced approach. And you’re right: meat would become more expensive, meaning people would be eating less of it. But beef is not the only choice. What if we started eating more lamb and goat? All of these animals graze contentedly on land that topographically may be unsuitable for growing crops.
Chris, well said. However, there are only three macro-nutrients: protein, fat, and carbohydrates. If you eliminate meat and animal fats from the diet, you have to get to calories from carbohydrates, which mean eating more grains and other starches. You cannot possibly form a healthy diet from just fruits and green vegetables. In terms of density and completeness of nutrition, nothing compares to meat. Sadly, at the rate we are going, few people will be able to afford it, which is why we should be expanding our meat horizons with goat and other sources. You are free to form your own opinion about why people get fat. We are already firm in ours.
Brett-
I have to disagree with you that responsible meat is more expensive. You just have to “hunt” more. I buy all of my pastured meat in bulk from Polyface farm once a year (probably the most famous gold standard of sustainability in America right now) and buying my meat in bulk brings my price down to practically Costco levels. Last summer I spent $750 on a half a beef and a half a pig and I still have meat for at least another 3 months, this is 15 months and amounts to $50 a month in pork and beef. I also buy pastured chicken from Polyface (which happens to be more expensive). One way I economize is to only buy whole chicken. I can make a whole chicken into 2 evenings worth of dinner for a family of 3. This is what people used to do and is in the spirit of slow food.
I do not think commercially grown veggies are of less offense to our environment and health than CAFO meat, for obvious reasons that do not need to be spelled out. Again, to economize, I have my own garden that I of course have to supplement with the costly farmers market. However, Swiss chard grows all season, can grow in just about anything and sustains our family at least 2 nights a week. The seed packet was $1.50 for some magnificent heriloom rainbow chard all summer long.
I think the average American is terrified of inconvenience, this is the real problem. One must put a little more work, than just a run to Costco, to eat responsibly and well when on a budget.
Melissa, I’m so glad you introduced the idea of buying meat in bulk. My wife and I are looking forward to the day when we have our own chest freezer and can do likewise. What you are doing is really smart. I’m not sure it is a practical solution for everyone, hence the notion that meats represent more of an investment for the average person. Perhaps demand pastured meats will encourage more production of it and make it even more affordable. And you are absolutely right about growing your own vegetables. It’s very cheap and not terribly difficult. But of course you need to have a little land to plant a garden.
My concern is with how difficult it is to purchase responsible food. I agree, the average American is not going to go out of their way to do so. If it’s possible to tell them something simple “eat more veggies and less meat” then I think that’s at least a step in reducing the demand of CAFO meat which would have a number of positive consequences.
Melissa -
I’ve been getting most of my produce from the CSA lately which has indeed been saving me money. It’s not practical for me to have a garden (working on community one in my area though) and it’s definitely not practical for me to buy even a quarter cow. So yes it is more expensive for me to buy responsibly raised meats. I’m glad your situation is different and commend your efforts.
Again, my primary point is that large amounts of meat, particularly beef, are more expensive when grown responsibly. crappy beef would be even cheaper if bought in bulk than responsible beef. Poorer folks will not be able to afford it in large quantities. However, I think that this is ok from a diet perspective. The healthiest and longest lived cultures eat in a way consistent with Taubes and other, but they do it in a generally plant (leaves and beans) approach with minimal starchy foods, with small amounts of meat thrown in. There is no contradiction really here.
large meat animals are resource intensive. pastured takes lots of land and time; grain fed takes less land and less time (about half), but a lot more energy and waste. tearing up corn and soy fields would be GREAT with me, but it will result in less beef, though still a lot. corn and soy are a very concentrated energy source for growing fat cattle quickly.
The meat of large animals has almost never, historically, been a common and cheap food. only in the last 150 years when either lots of land (1850′s-1930′s) was available or lots of subsidized grain (1930′s to now) was available has this been the case.
Chris, we moderns do find ourselves on the horns of a dilemma, because human health declined demonstrably with the advent of agriculture, in other words the beans you mention. (They are a starch, e.g. carbohydrate.) With less animal protein to go around and a greater reliance on plant foods, I think we can look forward to further problems where the health of humans is concerned. More carbohydrates, perhaps, but also more obesity, diabetes and the rest.
You got that right, Brett. It is expensive shopping responsibly. Industrial food is cheap because the larger costs–pollution, poor health–are all deferred to the public.
Something people forget is that grain feeding means that you’re devoting land to grain crops that you have to raise, probably spray and irrigate, and harvest. When you factor in the land use for feed, the case for pasture becomes very compelling.
Grain feeding uses the same amount of land as, and WAY more petroleum and other inputs than, pastured grazing. So pasturing beef saves money, removes a lot of pollution from the system, and produces much more nutritious meat.
Hmm.
Ryan, amen to that.
The question is ask myself is: how much is my health worth? I know that’s a hard question for some (ie: the Latino family in Food Inc.). But it just really shows how deeply the food industry has screwed us – when we know what the best course of action is but don’t have the means to get there. It’s a shame.
In three years I’ve been able to source about 90% of my food locally and cook a few times a week. I do have a full-time job and I will be the first to admit it’s NOT convenient to go to multiple drops to pick up meat and dairy then the farmers markets for the veggies all at certain days and times and then go home and cook a meal. But Lord I will never trade convenience for what I know to be real food.
I’ve been following/got swallowed up with the comments for this post on Grist. It’s amazing – our arguments are so fractured and we’re quick to disagree with eachother while referring to articles, studies and the most mind-numbingly boring minutiae. Our principles are seemingly similar but we stubbornly stand in our boxes with our pretty labels – with religious conviction! There’s suprisingly little open-mindedness about this subject. Another shame…
Kim, I feel the same way about the recent debate on Grist and in The Post about whether organic produce is more nutritious than non-organic.
Trying to sort through dueling studies is like counting the number of angels on the head of a pin. It’s fruitless and misses the bigger picture. Our industrial agriculture system is simply unsustainable. Choose naturally grown foods whenever possible.
Chris-
You write “large meat animals are resource intensive. pastured takes lots of land and time”. I think one must distinguish that these large animals that are resource intensive are ones that are farmed in a way that does not mimic nature. I don’t think meat or even meat growers need to be villified as a scoruge on the planet, but rather need a paradigm shift.
Why here locally, Buffalo used to roam the Shannandoah valley. A few farms in the valley actually strive to restore the land to its original intention with the grass fed beef they raise, using a method of rotating chicken, pigs, and cows around the pasture, esentially creating the circle that once sustained the buffalo in Shannendoah. I would argue that this type of farming actually is healing the land and is of benefit to the environment, rather than open land. As far as time goes, I have to agree, working a farm is time consuming and I’m glad someone does it!
I do often hear the comment about my buying in bulk is difficult for people of lower income or not pratical or too time consuming. People who knew me too, when our family made a major shift in our health, thought that and expressed those ideas. I started by getting a chest freezer for $450 and seem to be able to find space in my modest 1400 sq foot home housing our family of 4 ( and occasional family memeber or friend who needs to crash for a few months). I started with 4 friends (all industrial food eaters) who all would buy at cost from me as many pounds as they could fit in their standard freezer. All of them now have their own chest freezers and buy their own bulk meat. Why? Well, it tastes good, and the freezer pays for itself after just the first bulk buy. It is also very convenient to only purchase your meat every 16 months or so, which certainly cuts down on multiple trips to the grocery store and Costco. For a working mom of 2 children under 4 years old, and a husband who works a greuling 55-60hrs a week, rendering me pratically a single mom during the week, time savings is really important to me.
Friends who have actually seen this method of eating by someone they know who is a full time working parent of small children, living in a small home, running a few small square foot gardens, in a small space, saving money, and eating well, soon convert because they realize that it is really not as difficult or daunting as they thought and that they actually could save money.
I know it is not for everyone and I do know people who are really struggling right now and a package of ramen noodles is all they can afford. I just want to point out that I was not raised to eat responsibly and I too would put up objections and reasons why this type of eating was reserved for the elite. I had the same idea that it was not possible in my small home, not possible on my budget, not possible to coordinate the effort, and in general costco was just an easier option….until I actually gave it a try.
as much as I don’t like our current system of growing beef on grain, it is does produce more beef more quickly (1/2 the time) albeit with more environmental destruction though as noted above, with probably the same amount of land. it is “cheaper” and moving to a better system will be more expensive. These are not terribly disputable points. I think that most people advocating such shifts understand this but are happy with idea of paying more for what is indeed better food.
my concern about cost is not for those of us that have our own single family dwelling with a small spot of land to grow our own food and room for a refrigerator chest, and time to buy a side of beef and break it down. It is for the much larger segment of the population highlighted in “Food, inc.” that lives paycheck to paycheck in apartments, often quite crowded, that can currently not even afford the quality vegetables and staples, much less meat at its current cost. Advocating a meat-based diet of only sustainably grown beef is essentially impossible.
Finding an affordable healthy non-meat based diet is very critical. Organic veggies and complex grains are more expensive than conventional, but are much more affordable than most meats, particularly beef.
Chris, what you’re describing is not a policy option or even a personal choice, but an inevitability, a capitulation, a merry romp down the rat hole. Indeed, mankind finds himself facing a Malthusian dilemma–an exploding population that is destroying the planet as it tries to feed itself through industrial means. The solution will probably be more like “Gaia’s Revenge,” a rapidly shrinking realm in which to live and produce food, a huge die-off in the human population. This is why I advocate giving women total control and de-horning the corporations.
Meanwhile, eat more pastured meat.