Sustainability in Beef Production
The AgNext team at Colorado State University developed this fact sheet to provide a clear, science-based overview of the relationship between beef production and sustainability.
The fact sheet explains the three pillars of sustainability and explores the role of cattle in supporting a resilient food system. It also uses data from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) to provide context for greenhouse gas emissions, including the contribution of animal agriculture and enteric methane.
Key Scientific Literature:
Adesogan, A. T., Havelaar, A. H., McKune, S. L., Eilittä, M., & Dahl, G. E. (2020). Animal source foods: sustainability problem or malnutrition and sustainability solution? Perspective matters. Global Food Security, 25, 100325.
Arndt, C., Hristov, A. N., Price, W. J., McClelland, S. C., Pelaez, A. M., Cueva, S. F., Oh, J., Dijkstra, A., Bannink, A., Bayat A. R., Crompton, L. A., Eugène, M. A., Enahoro, D., Kebreab, E. Kreuzer, M., McGee, M., Martin, C., Newbold, C. J., Reynolds, C. K., Schwarm, A., Shingfield, K. J., Veneman, J. B., Yáñez-Ruiz, D. R., & Yu, Z. (2022). Full adoption of the most effective strategies to mitigate methane emissions by ruminants can help meet the 1.5 C target by 2030 but not 2050. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 119(20), e2111294119.
Broocks, A., Andreini, E. Place, S., Rolf, M. (2016) How does carbon sequestration affect the sustainability of beef? Oklahoma State University.
Council for Agricultural Science. (1999). Animal agriculture and global food supply. Council for Agricultural Science & Technology, 135.
EPA (2023). Inventory of U.S. Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Sinks: 1990-2021. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, EPA 430-R-23-002.
Rotz, C. A., Asem-Hiablie, S., Place, S., & Thoma, G. (2019). Environmental footprints of beef cattle production in the United States. Agricultural systems, 169, 1-13.
Von Keyserlingk, M. A. G., Martin, N. P., Kebreab, E., Knowlton, K. F., Grant, R. J., Stephenson, M., Sniffen, C. J., Harner III, J. P., Wright, A. D., & Smith, S. I. (2013). Invited review: Sustainability of the US dairy industry. Journal of dairy science, 96(9), 5405-5425.