As a child born into a five generation-deep ranching family, I have heard all the negative rumors about the industry. In fact, we hear it all the time. “Raising cattle for meat is inhumane and cattle ranching is killing the environment.”
I have also seen the realities and the positives.
However biased anyone may think I am, they have not lived the ranching life and seen firsthand the care and passion most ranchers give to their cattle.
Ranchers cannot be successful if their cattle and environment are not taken care of well.
Yes, a beef animal does not gain well if it’s not fed right.
Yes, the grasslands don’t regrow as well the next year if we overgraze them this year.
Yes, by processing a beef animal in a low stress environment, it will lead to a better end product.
Yes, by doing things humanely and environmentally correct the producer will make more money and lock in a stronger profit. But that is not what motivates most ranchers.
Ranchers love the land they tend to and would not at all benefit from mistreating it. Through research, as well as trial and error, we are finding and implementing the proper techniques to ensure its sustainability for generations to come.
In 1906, when my family first settled in Southern Idaho, they thought that tilling up the sagebrush ground and seeding perennial grass could lead to a sustainable future for Lickleys to come. And sure enough, it has.
However, as my family has adopted new technology and applications throughout this time frame, so have most ranching families. They have implemented crop rotations, different tilling systems and many more techniques proven to be more sustainable and efficient.
We are not bleeding the earth out of its precious resources in order to make a pretty penny. Many ranchers work side by side with groups and agencies to ensure the health of the resources we use.
Cole Lickley | Argonaut
For example, the University of Idaho recently partnered with the Wood River Land Trust and the Nature Conservancy to implement and research grazing experiments that involve cattle. This step forward shows our industry and those who may have a negative view of the beef production that there are sustainable ways to graze cattle on forage, while keeping the environment at the forefront of our minds.
Cattle ranchers also want what is best for the wellbeing of their animals. Growing up with devoted ranching parents, I have seen them brave the negative midnight temperatures to bring a newborn calf into the warming hut and nurse it until it is upright. This is the same for ranchers across the nation. The hard work they put into either raising a premature calf into a yearling or caring for a distressed cow that lost her baby, is unwavering and gives them satisfaction to see their animals happy and healthy.
I urge others in the farming industry and not to research and learn before distrusting the product ranchers generate.
I urge all of you to think twice before distrusting our product or trying to convince others against it. All we can is ask that people further their knowledge — as we further ours — and learn as much as they can before coming to a consensus.
We in the beef industry try very hard to keep an animal happy and healthy in an environmentally friendly way.
Cole Lickley can be reached at [email protected]