Topeka, Kan. — When you are an everyday environmentalist — someone whose job, way of life and family’s future depend upon the land, Earth Day can feel just like any other day. But, Kansas farmers and ranchers, who have long been leaders in supporting and protecting the environment, typically celebrate Earth Day with a delicious steak.
A high-quality protein source packed with ten essential nutrients, beef is good for you and good for the planet. Beef raised today requires less land, water and energy than ever before, with the average American farmer feeding about 155 people worldwide, compared to 26 people just a few decades ago. Celebrating Earth Day with beef also supports Kansas’ No. 1 industry, which contributed $10.8 billion to the state economy in 2008.
“The way we raise beef in this country is something to be proud of — considering we provide more nutrition with fewer natural resources than anywhere else in the world. I’m glad to be part of the small, but important community of folks who will help feed our growing population,” says Mark Harms, a rancher from Lincolnville, KS.
Farmers and cattle ranchers also strive to leave the environment in better shape for future generations. About two-thirds of farms and ranches have been in the same family for two generations or more and, on average, each has 13 different practices in place to accomplish environmental goals, such as nurturing wildlife, preventing erosion and conserving and protecting water. Today, thanks to smart practices, raising livestock in the United State accounts for less than 3 percent of the country’s total greenhouse gas emissions.
“I’m an everyday environmentalist,” says Mark Smith, farmer and rancher from Sharon Springs, KS. “When you eat beef, you support an American family, like mine, that gets up every day to care for cattle, the land and the environment.”
A recent, local development has been the cooperative efforts among ranchers and leaders from more urban areas to minimize the impact of smoke produced by fires that are necessary to renew the Flint Hills pastures cattle graze on annually. This voluntary effort outlines best management practices designed to provide cleaner air to populated downwind communities, such as Wichita, Kansas City and Topeka, following the controlled burning of the Flint Hills. For more information about the initiative, visit www.ksfire.org or www.Kansasbeef.org.
About the Kansas Beef Council
Based in Topeka, the Kansas Beef Council was first formed in 1973 by the Kansas Livestock Association for the purpose of beef promotion in the state of Kansas and is directed by a board of volunteer cattle producers from across the state and funded by the national beef checkoff. The council works aggressively to increase demand for beef and beef products through advertising, retail and foodservice promotion, public relations, food safety, producer communications and nutrition education. For more information, visit www.KansasBeef.org.
Source: Kansas Beef Council