Summary:
Scientists believe that “agricultural and drained peat lands” contribute their own share of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. Therefore, many farmers have been advised to reduce their cattle grazing and animal-based farming in order to reduce carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide emissions. Now, Martin Hesp and Graham Harvey have come upon a new method of grazing that releases emissions at all; in fact, the gases are stored back into the soil. Due to carefully managed grazing, Geoff Sayers describes his pasture as a carbon pump (carbon dioxide is taken in by grass and is then locked in the soil.) There are three main advantages to this kind of grazing: a smaller ecological footprint (because of grazing), fewer inputs of energy, and more natural food for the cows to digest (which leads to less chemically-altered food for us).
Response:
We didn’t cover this much in class. However, we did cover that agriculture takes up a large part of the Earth’s land and therefore, this article affects all of us, not just farmers. To find a new way to live a certain lifestyle is always drastic. Concerning farmers, they would have to completely forgo their old techniques and equipment in order to comply with this new method of grazing. Some people aren’t willing to give up their time to make such a change and often times, this is what causes backwardness in our lifestyles. Nevertheless, a lack of information can also cause a halt in action and this article exemplifies that. Since it only mentions the pros of such a meticulous style of grazing, this brings up lots of questions. Is it as effective as “mechanical” grazing? Do cows need more land and are we able to provide more land? Is it the most efficient way to raise livestock? Why hasn’t this issue been as heavily publicized as others, like the polar ice caps? After reading the article, it felt like it was too easy. Here was the answer to a problem that affects every continent and yet, many people have not switched to it. Why?
Let’s say there were no cons (which I highly doubt). This seems like a sound method of grazing that is both beneficial to the breeder and to nature. The three benefits that were mentioned in the article seem to tie up all the knots because not only does it protect the environment, in the end, it comes back to us. If the cows are fed less chemicals, our foods become much healthier to consume. That’s the point that many people would look for in terms of direct results in the human population.
Hesp, Martin, and Graham Harvey. "Cattle Eating Grass, It's Only Natural." Western Morning News. 2 Dec. 2009. Web. 6 Dec. 2009.
I think you make a great point that by having the farmers change their system and adopting a new grazing method, it benefits us tremendously by improving the quality of food that we eat. Today most people are very conscious of the chemicals in their food and the nature of their food production, and adopting a new grazing style would serve to reassure the public that our food is safe.
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