A model for 'sustainable' US beef production

Area of Science:

• Agricultural Science
• Environmental Science
• Nutritional Science

Background:

• Food production significantly impacts land, water, and fertilizer use, contributing to greenhouse gas emissions.
• Beef production in the United States is a major consumer of agricultural resources, both overall and on a per-unit basis (kcal or protein).

Purpose of the Study:

• To define and quantify potential sustainable beef production in the US.
• To assess the impact of reallocating land from beef to plant-based food production.

Main Methods:

• Defined 'sustainable' beef as exclusively grass-fed and by-product consuming.
• Quantified potential US beef production based on current pastureland characteristics and use.
• Modeled land reallocation scenarios from beef to plant-based food production.

Main Results:

• Current US pastureland could sustainably produce approximately 45% of current beef production.
• Rewilding half of less productive pastureland could still support about 43% of current beef production.
• Reallocating 32 million ha of cropland from beef to plant-based foods yields 2-20 times more calories and protein, plus increased nutrients, but no vitamin B12.

Conclusions:

• Sustainable, grass-fed beef production has limitations in meeting current demand.
• Shifting land use from beef to plant-based foods offers substantial nutritional benefits.
• Optimized grazing practices may enhance future beef production capacity.