It
is my pleasure to celebrate the month of May as National Beef Month.
Iowa
has the seventh largest cattle inventory in the U.S. and ranks fourth in the
country for cattle and calves on feed.
While
I usually focus on the need for a fair and transparent market for cattle
producers, today I want to draw attention to the job that cattle producers
across the country have of feeding the country and the world.
Over
the last 30 years, the United States population has increased by 80 million
people.
In
that same time period, the world population has grown by around three billion people.
In
the face of a growing population, farmers across the country have been faced
with a challenging question. How do we meet a growing demand for food while
also lowering our environmental footprint?
American
farmers and ranchers have risen to the occasion. Farmers in all segments have
expanded production to fulfill increasing demand while protecting our
environment.
The
United States is currently producing 80 percent more pork, 48 percent more milk
and 18 percent more beef than 30 years ago.
Despite
the increases in production, per-unit greenhouse gas emissions from pork
production have decreased by 20 percent and 8 percent for beef production.
Nonetheless,
environmentalists still place unwarranted blame on farmers for contributing to
a changing climate.
The
recent narrative that United States agriculture is a major contributor to
greenhouse gas emissions is simply not true.
According
to the EPA, only 11 percent of the United States’ greenhouse gas emissions come
from agriculture.
The
leading sources of greenhouse gas emissions contribute nearly twice as many
emissions as the agricultural industry does.
Transportation
contributes 27 percent, electricity 25 percent and general industry is at 24
percent.
It
is time to set the record straight.
For
the last 30 years, American farmers have been reducing greenhouse gas emissions
with each meal served by embracing efficiency and adopting new technologies.
Agriculture
needs to have a seat at the table for these conversations since farmers are the
first conservationists and can help offset emissions from other sectors.
From
creating carbon sinks on farmland to producing biofuels and turning farm waste
into energy, farmers have taken an active role in reducing their environmental
impact.
Research
from USDA shows that even if the entire world was vegan it would lower global
emissions by less than one-half of one percent while losing access to
high-quality protein.
However,
the facts I have mentioned do not matter to radical environmental groups or the
mainstream media.
Articles
on food sustainability often focus on how eating insects or bugs can help save
the planet.
A
simple search on the internet reveals some unsettling articles.
A
headline from Time Magazine, “How Humans Eating Insects Could Help Save the
Planet.”
From
the Atlantic, “To Save the World, Eat Bugs.”
And
from the New York Times, “Why Aren’t We Eating More Insects.”
All
of these stories have a common thread.
To
solve world hunger and protect the environment the American people and the
world needs to at bugs and insects.
But
as I’ve laid out, you can just eat more beef and feel good about your
environmental impact.
As
for me, I’ll be doing my part in May to honor National Beef Month.
I
will be eating juicy hamburgers or steak, if the price isn’t too outrageous.
I
will be supporting cattlemen from Iowa who produce the highest quality beef in
the world.
Farmers
know firsthand the importance of a clean and healthy environment.
It
is simply unfair to place the blame of a changing climate on the backs of
farmers.
As
a nation, we must stand with farmers across the country and work with them to
promote a clean environment.
I
will continue working at the policymaking tables to ensure our cattle producers
can continue raising high-quality beef for generations to come and that
families can enjoy it at their kitchen tables at prices they can afford.
