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[title]Chances are that you love a good steak or burger. But with the increasing threat of climate change and news articles questioning the sustainability of some foods, you’re also probably wondering just how much beef should be included in your diet—aren’t cows to blame for a significant portion of the greenhouse gas emissions? According to two industry experts, Dagan Lynn, an executive chef for the Beef Checkoff-funded Beef. It’s What’s For Dinner brand, and Kimberly Ratcliff, a Texas cattle rancher, it’s not that simple. In fact, they say, raising and eating beef can actually be done quite sustainably. So, fire up that grill and get ready to have your burger, guilt-free.
“Cattle ranchers are amazing stewards, constantly trying to make the land better and sustaining its health for future generations. They study the land every day in order to minimize their impact on it, and benefit the land with every decision they make,” says Chef Lynn.
Those decisions, according to Ratcliff, are made deliberately to ensure that her family’s farm at Caney Creek Ranch is operating at peak sustainability for the environment. No one has more of a vested interest in seeing the land and animals thrive than cattle ranchers hoping to see their business passed on to the next generation. For example, much of Texas is currently facing a drought making it difficult to raise cattle. Ranchers like Ratcliff are facing the challenges head on, getting creative and finding ways to use water and other resources as efficiently as possible.
In fact, efficient use of natural resources is a key value of cattle ranchers across the U.S., because their land thrives when it is cared for with an eye to the future. “We are also really big about rotating our cattle on a constant basis. It allows us to have better utilization of our grass, and better ability to rest our forages longer. Resting them allows deep roots to grow, retain moisture and be secure during this drought time,” explains Ratcliff. “As a result, our pastures are so green, even though it's dry. Many cattle people say this: your roots are your savings account. So, it's a whole systematic approach when you rotate the cattle. It becomes bigger than just the grass they eat. It’s for the environment, for organic matter, for those beautiful worms to develop, all that stuff.”
But what about the news reports citing excessive amounts of carbon emitted by cows? Ratcliff has a first-hand perspective on that topic.
For one thing, cattle are part of the carbon sequestration story. Research conducted by researchers at the University of Florida indicates that when it comes to climate change, cattle grazing actually helps to sequester carbon, as grazing lands are estimated to contain 10–30% of the carbon stored in soil.
“I think it's an easy way out to point fingers at one particular industry and say they are the problem, but it's everyone's responsibility."
Ratcliff highlights the importance of looking at sustainability holistically. It’s no secret that cattle burp methane as part of their unique digestive process, but greenhouse gas from beef cattle only represents 2% of emissions in the U.S., whereas transportation accounts for approximately 29% and electricity accounts for nearly 25% of emissions in the U.S.* But ecosystems are more complex than just greenhouse gas emissions. Cattle ranchers also consider the health of the soil, the plants, the wildlife, the water and more on their land to build thriving habitats and resources.
“I raise cattle within a forestry type system—or silvopasture—that is actually healthy for those trees. Cattle clean out the shrubs and brush at the bottom and prevent forest fires.”
So how can we consider reducing our own dietary impact if it isn’t through limiting beef consumption? One answer is food waste. With landfills responsible for about 14% of carbon emissions coming from the U.S. (per the Environmental Protection Agency/EPA), it’s important to consider the role food waste plays—22% of landfill content is attributable to food waste, according to the EPA. For Chef Lynn, this means making intentional choices when it comes to incorporating beef into our diets.
“As a longtime chef, I see how food waste equals energy waste. It happens not only during the shipping process, but most of the waste is happening at the restaurant and consumer level. There are companies and individuals doing some great work in reducing food waste in restaurants and bars, and producers and growers who are leading on how to ship produce with a longer shelf life.
“Reducing food waste not only saves us money and energy, but it's better for the environment. And all of us individually can play a role in that, too. Something I love to showcase is how to cross-utilize the ingredients that are in your refrigerator into new dishes. For example, yesterday I made a beef and bean soup that I turned into a barbecue stew today. Or, if I'm doing a tri tip roast, for example, I’ll typically marinate it and grill it. But those cuts tend to be around two to three pounds each. That's a lot of food for my family. So, I typically have at least a pound left over. I’ll then turn that into a nice open-faced sandwich, and add some avocado and tomatoes.”
Chef Lynn also highlights just how versatile beef can be, which makes it easier to re-utilize and to adapt it to different tastes, diets and dishes.
“I can't think of a cooking method that you can't use with beef. Obviously, smokers and grills, but also air fryers and instant pots. There's really nothing you can't accomplish with it. That’s the fun part of my job. Beef is also found in almost every culture and cuisine, so it's really easy to adapt any cooking style and any flavor combination with different cuts of beef.”
Ratcliff says that this kind of communication and education is critical to her mission as a rancher—from how beef is produced to the different ways you can use it—even if the conversations are sometimes hard or complicated.
“I try to educate consumers on a daily basis. I tell them how I raise my animals, who I buy my animals from, and how I'm trying to help the economy locally. I think for our side, it’s on us to go meet the consumers where they are. I always tell people that our ranch is an open door.”
But what do a Texas rancher and a Denver-based chef have to do with New York? Well, Ratcliff’s values are shared among ranchers across the country. More than 90% of farms and ranches in the U.S. are family-owned and operated. In New York, about 23% of the state’s land area, or 7 million acres, are used by the 33,000 farms to produce a very diverse array of food products.
That means that if New Yorkers have questions about sustainability and how their beef is raised, there’s a rancher in their own backyard, ready to chat and share their story. They might even invite you over for a steak!
About the chef
Dagan Lynn hails from upstate New York, where he grew up on a dairy farm. He’s been a chef throughout his entire career, mostly working in food service, hotels and resorts. He joined the team as an executive chef for the National Cattlemen's Beef Association, a contractor to the Beef Checkoff, in 2023.
About the rancher
Before Kimberly Ratcliff moved back to Oakwood, Texas to help run her family farm, Caney Creek Ranch, she lived in NYC and worked in tech at Bloomberg. In 2008, she became the first African American to graduate from the ranch management program at Texas Christian University. Her goal is to build community while maintaining her family property.
