Nearly 1/3 of Canada’s agricultural land is used for beef production. This consists mostly of native prairie (land that has never been worked) and tame grasses (land that has been cropped and then converted back to pasture) grown on land which is typically unsuitable for crop farming but are ideal for grazing cattle. A small amount of farm land is also used for growing grains for cattle feed.
Grasslands
- Grasslands support biodiversity (the wide variety of life found in an ecosystem) by being home for a wide variety of plants, mammals and insects. More than 60 Canadian species at risk (plants and animals that are at risk of becoming extinct) depend on this declining habitat.
- They also play a critical role in the water cycle, contributing to ground water reserves, rivers and streams, holding water during floods and providing clean drinking water for human and wildlife communities.
- Grasslands contain wetlands, lakes, rivers and valleys that support fish, waterfowl and migratory birds.
- They are important for long-term carbon storage and reducing greenhouse gases (GHGs) from CO2. Grazing lands store about 1.5 billion tonnes of carbon (equivalent to emissions from 3.62 million cars annually) that would otherwise be released into the atmosphere.
Ask an Expert
We asked Dr. Christian Artuso of the Migratory Bird Conservation Unit of the Canadian Wildlife Service: Can beef cattle be good for the environment?
In natural grassland ecosystems which are dynamic and have been shaped by fire, drought and grazing, its important to understand the regenerative roles that those processes play.
Grazing in natural grasslands, in part because different plants respond differently to grazing, promotes healthy growth and diversity. In North America, grasslands used to be grazed by large herds of bison. Today, both beef cattle and bison perform a similar role. Grazing grasslands provides habitats and maintains habitats for many threatened plants and animals.
If you were to take away the bovines, the grasslands would become degraded, become encroached by shrubs and eventually they would no longer be suitable habitats for the species that call them home. Grasslands need the grazers and that is where cattle ranching can be an important conservation tool and support biodiversity.
Sources: Ag in the Classroom, Real Dirt on Farming, FarmFood360