• Hello_there@kbin.social
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    1 year ago

    Reminder that farmers can spend something like a dollar per cow per year to allow their cattle to roam through public lands to cause erosion, shit in streams, spread giardia, and give farmers reasons to kill coyotes and wolves.

    • The_v@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      This is mostly done in the western U.S. It also takes around 40 acres of land/cow. In drier areas it takes 200 acres per cow.

      In an irrigated field, with annual crops, and rotational grazing, we can feed 2-4 cows/acre depending on the location.

      We do not need to use 95% of the land we use for pasture.

    • TxTechnician@lemmy.ml
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      1 year ago

      Large heards grazing is necessary for grasslands to thrive.

      They till the ground, knock down tall dead plants, graze (but not “browse” the grass), fertilize, and water the grass.

      Deer and other fauna do not knock down the grass the way bovine do. We used to have millions of Buffalo. Now we use cattle as a substitute.

      If we don’t do that, we have to burn the grassland. Or it dies.

      That’s what we used to do in Kansas. It was quite fun. And the government paid us to do it.

      Anyways. Here’s some evidence to back up what I’m saying: TED TALK

      • Hello_there@kbin.social
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        1 year ago

        In some places, sure. But not everywhere they are. And you could/should reintroduce bison where they can go instead of using cattle. And the government should get more than the pittance they get per head.

    • scottywh@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      While this is true, BLM land doesn’t exist everywhere and as such it isn’t true of all cattle farmers.