09/29/2025
You know what I find fascinating? The way people throw out “animal agriculture takes up SO much land!” like it’s the final mic-drop argument. Which is true…if you skip the part where most of that land is stuff you can’t grow human food on unless you’re in the mood for a dinner of sagebrush and rocks.
In the U.S. and Canada, cattle graze land that’s basically allergic to row crops—thin soils, steep hills, too dry, too rocky, or too cold. It’s land that laughs in the face of soybeans. But a cow? She takes that crunchy grass salad bar, adds four stomach compartments, and turns it into steak, milk, leather boots, and the occasional manure-fueled garden tomato.
Now let’s talk nutrition. A 3-ounce serving of beef delivers all nine essential amino acids, highly bioavailable iron, zinc, vitamin B12, and a solid dose of high-quality protein. Meanwhile, if you tried to survive on rangeland plants…congratulations, you now get: lots of fiber, basically zero B12, and an endless supply of… chew-resistant twigs. Good luck getting your iron from tumbleweed or your protein from sagebrush. Spoiler: you won’t. You’d need to eat a wheelbarrow of it to match the nutrition in a single steak. A wheelbarrow.
And remember, over 80% of livestock feed globally isn’t even human-edible. So cows aren’t “stealing your lunch”—they’re turning inedible plant leftovers and roughage into food humans can actually absorb. It’s like nature’s version of a food recycling program…but tastier.
So yes—animal agriculture uses a lot of land. But it’s land we couldn’t use for much else, unless you think humans are ready to evolve into goats.
And if you’re still worried about it, giving up beef doesn’t magically turn Alberta rangeland into Kansas cornfields. It just turns it into Alberta rangeland with fewer cows, more weeds, and humans gnawing on sticks while trying to convince themselves they’re thriving.
