Earth Day Made Better Thanks to Modern Agriculture
This Saturday, April 22 will be the 53rd rendition of Earth Day. With Agriculture — and your food choices — receiving so much scrutiny from misguided environmentalists, I’m sharing some food and farm facts.
Eat Your Meat, Lose the Guilt
While certain politicians, activists, and Bill Gates attempt to force fake meat down your gullet under the guise of "climate crisis,” a few things for your to consider:
1. Intensive livestock production increases efficiencies, using less resources per pound of milk, meat, or eggs produced than at any other time in human history.
2. The United States has 900 million acres of privately owned farm land, of which only about 360 million is in crops. That means the remaining 60% of farmland is in pasture, range, and forage production as it’s not well suited for conventional crop production. The cattle that graze those lands turn cellulosic fiber into nutrient-dense meat all the while helping rejuvenate grasslands while sequestering carbon
Conservation Reserve Program
In 1985 the USDA launched the CRP program paying private farm landowners to set aside environmentally sensitive acres on a contractual arrangement. 23 million U.S. acres are enrolled in the program, protecting waterways, providing for wildlife, and enhancing your air quality.
Organic is Better For Earth Right?
Suburbanites are generally surprised when I tell them the truth about organic: It requires more diesel, more tillage and disturbance of soil ecosystems, and organic doesn’t necessarily mean “chemical free” — there are plenty of approved pesticides under the organic label. Oh, and one other thing, organic food production requires more acres of farm land as it’s less efficient. Is that good for the environment?