Ridge Shinn - A New Program to Restore Northeast Grasslands: 100% Grass-Fed Beef
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Restoring grasslands in the US with 100% grass-fed beef Ridge Shinn [email protected] BLC Conference at Tufts Nov. 22, 2014
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Transcript of Ridge Shinn - A New Program to Restore Northeast Grasslands: 100% Grass-Fed Beef
Restoring grasslands in the USwith 100% grass-fed beef
Ridge Shinn [email protected]
BLC Conference at Tufts Nov. 22, 2014
Three topics in this presentation:
I. Dire impacts of today’s beef industry
II. Multiple benefits of rotational grazing
III. New grazing pilot in the US Northeast
I. Dire impacts of today’s beef industry
The feedlot diet harms animals and people:
E.coli
Mad Cow
Growth hormones
Antibiotics in feed
Omega 6 overload
Low-nutrient food
Glyphosate in food
Pollution
Wasted energy
Wasted water
Climate emissions
97 million acres oxidizing carbon
Grassland is plowed to plant corn, which is subsidized by our tax dollars. The corn is used for livestock feed, ethanol, and corn syrup.
Monoculture, plowing, herbicides (i.e. glyphosate), pesticides, and chemical fertilizers
combine to destroy soil microbes needed for soil health, water retention, and fertility.
Devastating practices of corn production
*Plot provided by Nancy Swanson, with permission
Data sources: autism - US Department of Education; Glyphosate - USDA
Autism-Roundup (glyphosate) correlation in US
II. Benefits of grazing ruminants
Rotational (pulse) grazing • Sequesters carbon• Builds soil health and fertility• Saves energy and water,• Provides nutrient-dense food.
The mob moves on to a new bite. The grazed area rests and regrows.
Pulse grazing then and now
Buffalo – 18th century Beef cattle – 21st Century
Massachusetts South Africa
Fertility improved by rotational grazing
Grass quality and volume in adjacent fields: rotational grazing vs. conventional management
Rotational grazing Conventional grazing
At end of New England growing season. . .
On left: paddock in a rotation has lush grass, deep roots.On right: large “all season” pasture has little grass left.
Different management on adjacent farms Rotational grazing (left) created 16 inches of top soil in 10 yrs.
Photo courtesy of Christine Jones, Ph.D.
Deep roots of perennial plants, plus microbes in manure, foster the soil food web
*Glomalin: glues aggregates together, stores carbon, holds water.
Glomalin* “significantly increased” by rotational grazing
III. New grazing pilot for the US Northeast
• 100% grass-fed-and finished beef • Northeast beef for northeast markets
Benefits
Grassland restorationCarbon sequestrationNutrient-dense foodHumane livestock treatmentEnergy and water savingLocal economic development
Total number of beef cattle produced by New England and New York farms each year: 310,000
Average beef herd size in US: 40 head
Almost all aggregated by dealers and trucked west to be finished on feedlots.
Industrial system sends cattle west:
New 2-part program:
1) 100% grass-fed cattle will be collected from numerous small farms in New England and New York...2) ...and fattened on forage-only at several large finishing farms in the North East– instead of going west to feedlots.
Imported grass-fed is already in NE stores
Kroger’s- $6.99 Target-$6.99
Candy bar - $.92/ounce Grass-fed beef - $.44/ounce
PRICE
Good forage even under snow Winter pasture tested better than hay
Winter grazing = new farm economicsGood nutrition for cattle - $$ savings for NE farmers
Winter forage nutrition equal/better than hay or balage Pasture sample analyzed by Cornell and in February
![[press space bar to continue]kswcd.org/conference/Success Stories_Debbie Hughes_Restore New … · to restore our state’s grasslands, woodlands, and riparian areas to a healthy](https://static.fdocuments.in/doc/165x107/5fdcee8d1fc7b66f3e5f0cdc/press-space-bar-to-continuekswcdorgconferencesuccess-storiesdebbie-hughesrestore.jpg)
