Cattlemen welcome Earth Day

From the California Cattlemen's Association:

Sacramento, Calif. – As Earth Day arrives tomorrow, April 22, California ranchers will be celebrating their way of life. Moreover, it is an important time for everyone to stop and consider where their food comes from and what the hardworking people in production agriculture are doing to ensure that food for the world’s 7 billion people is grown in our state, today and in the future.

According to California Cattlemen’s Association President Kevin Kester, a life long rancher from Parkfield, Calif., California beef producers are found in every part of the Golden State – and they are doing more than just providing steaks and burgers.

“Ranchers serve many important purposes – from caring for the land, water and environment to providing food for people worldwide. Because they live off the land, ranchers are caring stewards of the land and environment,” Kester said, “Beef producers also believe that giving animals the humane care, proper handling and nutrition they deserve is an obligation, not an option. We love what we do, the animals we raise and the land that supports our way of life.”

Ranchers and cattle are also great managers of the state’s expansive open space. Rangeland cattle grazing provides habitat for many endangered species. If California’s open space continues to be converted into shopping plazas and housing developments, many species of wildlife may cease to exist. Research has shown that nearly all of the species of grassland birds, most native plants and a variety of large and small wildlife actually benefit from responsible cattle grazing.

Thanks, in part, to California ranchers, Americans know a quality of life that many people around the globe unfortunately do not. However, if regulations and lack of consumer support continue to erode, the scenario could greatly change.

Eating beef is more than just enjoying a delicious food with a rich supply of nutrients that are not provided by other foods. By eating beef, consumers are not just doing something good for their bodies, they are supporting a way of life that is good for Mother Nature and good for California. Ranchers are proud of their product – so proud that the beef they supply to consumers is the same beef they put on their own family’s table.

This Earth Day, California ranchers hope all Americans will appreciate the good that cattle ranching and agriculture does for the land and be thankful that they live in a place where safe food is abundantly raised for their benefit and the stewardship that ranchers provide for their livestock and the environment will help maintain quality of life that has existed for generations.

For more information about the California beef industry and the positive impacts ranchers have on the environment, visit www.calcattlemen.org and www.carangeland.org.