I’ve sent out newsletters recently discussing the value of meat from healthy grass-fed cattle. But some of you might wonder, isn’t meat production bad for the environment? It depends on how it is produced.

    An article in Scientific American, How Dirt Could Help Save the Planet, reviews how healthy soil can store immense amounts of carbon. In contrast, unhealthy soil erodes more easily in wind and rain. The United States is losing soil 10 times faster than it is created, and some parts of Asia and Africa are losing it much, much faster.

    The article describes various ways to improve soil, including regenerative grazing. In this method, animals move from one field to another, so that they do not chew the plants to the ground. This stimulates plants to grow more vigorously and store more carbon. Bison once migrated in this way across the Great Plains, creating extremely fertile soil.

    So, grass-fed cattle are not only healthier themselves, they can help regenerate soil. And healthier soil means healthier food for us, as discussed in a previous newsletter.

    I hope this will inspire you to patronize local farmers and to support those who are caring for the soil they farm.