The Beef on Cattle Corporations
By: Hannah Levasseur
Tags: Climate Change, Ecology, Global Warming, Environment, Beef

Topic : Climate change and beef production

Lead-in : The beef industry is a leading industry in our environment’s devastation and will continue this unfortunate path without interference. Being aware of the climate change which the beef industry exacerbates is the mere backbone to a hopeful future. Farmers are growing more accepting and willing to take action in managing risks from climate impacts to ensure their community’s and environment’s stability. Researchers have conducted surveys in Kansas, Oklahoma, and Texas to interpret just how concerned cattle farmers are for their environment and it’s longevity.

General Background : Beef production is a leading source of greenhouse gas emissions in which methane is directly released as cows digest grasses and plants (Campbell et al. 2018). Additionally, methane is emitted through manure. Nitrous oxide, another greenhouse gas, is emitted in fertilizers used to grow the cow’s feed. Global meat consumption has doubled in the past 50 years. With a never-ending need for food and increasing amounts of hunger, relying on beef as a major source of food is not promising. Understanding the concerns, motivations, and constraints from a producer’s perspective is the spark in changing such high volume production practices (Campbell et al. 2018). Outreach efforts to producer companies will enable climate change adaptation and mitigation, and more importantly, propel the end goal of limiting beef cattle production. Therefore, comprehending the beliefs to which farmers run their businesses out of can evoke a growing trend towards conscious production and a healthier environment.

Study Description : It seems obvious that as farmers who need rich land to grow their business from that they would want to only positively affect the environment. With how horrible their production methods are for the environment, it appears like self-destruction. That is what this study questions farmers from Kansas, Oklahoma, and Texas on their beliefs, concerns, and attitudes toward changing their ways. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the level of belief and responsibility beef farmers have in their practices as a direct force in climate change. The first question of the survey was about the farmer’s beliefs and asked whether the climate was changing with a ‘yes’ or ‘no’ response. Then still within the beliefs section, asked what factors, either human, natural, both, or not happening at all, are to blame for climate change (Campbell et al. 2018). The second portion of the survey rated the level of concern from the farmer’s under various categories of climate change, with responders selecting the cause as either human, natural, both, or not happening at all (Campbell et al. 2018). The third portion of the survey reflected the farmer’s attitudes with qualitative responses as to how inclined they were to all adaptation methods (Campbell et al. 2018).

Findings : From surveys distributed in Kansas, Oklahoma, and Texas, the data found that most of the beef producing farmers agreed that mankind is to blame at least partially for climate change. 57% of surveys claimed climate change is due to a combination of natural and human activities. 27% believed natural changes in the environment were the cause of climate change, and only 9% believed human activity is the major cause of climate change (Campbell et al. 2018). This data correlated to the data collected for the second portion of the research, concerns on climate change. The farmers who acknowledged humans actions as a cause also expressed the highest level of concern for the environment, with a mean rating of 3.4 out of 4 (Campbell et al. 2018). There were decreased levels of concern in correspondence with responses that did not attribute climate change with human action, natural cause, or for those who thought our climate was not even changing. The third portion of data of the farmer’s attitudes proved to be in great alignment with the belief and concern levels. Those who attributed climate change to human action and held a high concern about climate change had the best attitude when it came to adaptive measures. 75% of those surveyed confessed, “I should take steps to adapt my practices for climate variability,” even those who disagreed that human activity contributed to climate change (Campbell et al. 2018). Overall, farmers from these three states are aware of their impacts and want to learn more about the ways they can alter their practices to have a less detrimental effect on the environment.

Future Directions : Knowing that farmers do in fact want to help and mostly acknowledge their contribution to climate change, creating a step by step approach for them to decrease their cattle production would be beneficial. It would be most effective if this sort of plan was written into policy so that there is a greater level of regulation. Since the beef producers in these three states were willing to adapt to the climate variability we are facing, it suggests they are responding to global change problems with a willingness to change their behaviors and company’s operation. As much as people wish to help sometimes, they may struggle with exactly how they can help. But, with studies like these and those alike, I think education and self-awareness are critical components to making change.

References:

Campbell, A., Becerra, T.A., Middendorf, G., et al. 2018. Climate change beliefs, concerns, and attitudes of beef cattle producers in the Southern Great Plains. Climate Change, 152: 35–46.