As the world grows hungrier, pressure on farmers and ranchers to provide sustainable food substances grows, too. Whether outsiders can appreciate it or not, farmers and ranchers care about their land and their animals, and their dependence and dedication to finding better and safer ways to do business is of paramount importance to them.

Unfortunately, we live in such a contentious world, this concern has been overshadowed by cries from those determined to undermine farmers’ and ranchers’ ability to work their land.
We must find ways to protect the environment and in that regard, agriculture is key. More than 75 percent of all waterfowl and migrating birds find refuge not on public lands, but on private, unadulterated open spaces created by ranchers and farmers. Livestock and wildlife co-habitate in a natural and beautiful way. When managed correctly and in concert with the land, cattle are a powerful force for the maintenance of the land. They are not strangers to the land; like the buffalo, their kindred cousin, cows help to create carbon sequestration, providing for the healthy care of the soil.

Indeed, livestock is the most sustainable and historic form of agriculture there is. It is thousands of years old, and animals, which can move with people and the land, can survive – even when crops fail. Crops are susceptible to so many things that it would behoove the consumer to understand the reliability and worthwhile capacity that animals have in providing for humans. Cattle, for instance, provide more than 900 byproducts, from the ingredients that go into paving roads and highways, to medicinals and pharmaceuticals, to cosmetics and a myriad of products – most unseen by the average consumer. At the same time, beef is a nutrient dense food, and in a country that is short on nutrition, it’s sad that people have thrown out the “baby with the bath water” when it comes to the healthy inclusion of beef in their diet.

Too many children are growing up eating unnatural foods, but getting back to simple food choices and real food would help provide a healthy diet for growing minds and bodies.
That the world’s population is growing makes it even more imperative that we pay close attention to those sources of food that can help sustain people. Cattle are also ruminants and their unique four- stomach structure allows them to convert dry matter and grasslands into a sustainable and viable food source. In dry lands, they can help fight wildfires. Would that more cattle be allowed to roam the hills in California and the West where these grasslands have become volatile fire material. More and more ranchers are raising natural beef and because cattle live primarily in open spaces (only to be moved to feedlots for a short period after being purchased from the rancher), they provide the means to protect and keep these wide open spaces open and unfettered. Isn’t that a desire most Californians have when they drive down the freeway?

So many regulations, fees, permits, taxes and more, however, are making it harder and harder for agriculturalists to remain in business. Far too many are being swept away or regulated away, forced to fight agencies that do not seem to care at all about the freedom to farm or the need for Americans and the world to have access to reliable and sustainable food. This problem is not just the farmer or rancher’s problem, either. This will find its way into every American’s home – indeed, onto the dinner plate of people worldwide.