Beef’s water-use footprint is smaller than many think

Critics claim beef production wastes water. The facts say otherwise.

Every farmer and livestock producer I work with has concerns about water. Whether they’re in the High Plains, the Midwest or the Southwest, they’re all looking for sustainable ways to secure their water supplies and minimize water-quality impacts.

Beef producers are increasingly finding new and improved ways to do that. Many cattle ranches have implemented water conservation and environmental efforts. Irrigation practices continue to advance, enabling more efficient water use to sustain crops with significantly less evaporation or runoff.

Despite those efforts, critics still say beef production wastes water. In fact, that’s not true.

Considering all water from farm to fork, it takes 308 gallons of water for every pound of edible beef produced in the United States, according to the “Beef. It’s What’s For Dinner.”—a website funded by the Beef Checkoff.

Critics may be surprised to know that the No. 1 source of water consumption in the beef value chain is for irrigating crops that feed cattle. That crop irrigation use amounts to 95%. The water that cattle use for drinking represents only about 1% of the total water used in beef production.

The website also includes a fact sheet explaining beef production and water use by authors Ashley Broocks, Justin Buchanan, Sara Place, Megan Rolf and Michelle Calvo-Lorenzo of Oklahoma State University. They point out that location strongly determines water use.

For example, they look at the southern High Plains, where about 30% of cropland is irrigated with water from the Ogallala aquifer. In some but not all cases, they note water is being drawn from the aquifer at a faster rate than it is being recharged. That causes water use there to be viewed and valued differently than in places that primarily rely on rainfall for agricultural production. As a result, the authors say, care should be taken about generalizing water footprints for beef or any other product on a national scale.

The OSU fact sheet also highlights an example of the innovative systems that integrate beef and crop production in the southern High Plains to use water more efficiently. In a four-year experiment, researchers compared a wheat-cotton crop rotation with one that integrated beef cattle, rye, wheat and old world bluestem, a perennial warm season grass, in the High Plains of Texas.

They found the integrated beef cattle and crop system used 23% less irrigation water than the system with crops only. The increase in irrigation water use efficiency was mostly due to incorporating perennial warm season grass into the farming system. Perennial grasses would not be as valuable to sustainable farming systems without cattle that have the ability to digest such grasses because humans can’t directly consume and digest grass. This is just one example, the OSU team notes, but it demonstrates that beef cattle can play a key role in water conservation.

Improving water quality

Wherever they are in the 50 states, beef producers are not only improving their water use but they’re also working hard to protect water quality. The OSU authors cite a national survey of U.S. beef farmers and ranchers that shows 99.8% of respondents employ at least one water-quality improvement practice recommended by the Natural Resources Conservation Service.

Beef producers are conducting water-quality tests and fencing off streams to protect fish habitat and waterways. They’re reclaiming, filtering and reusing water whenever possible, creating man-made irrigation ponds and increasing aeration in manure-holding lagoons. An increasing number of ranches are also collecting rainfall or using underground wells to save water and make sure the environment is sustainable for future generations.  

Setting specific goals

The beef industry is committed to assuring consumers and food companies that beef is a socially responsible and environmentally sound product.

Helping lead the way with well thought out direction is the U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef. USRSB is an industry-led, multi-stakeholder initiative dedicated to improving the sustainability of U.S. beef production. In recent years, the organization has set specific goals and metrics for every sector of the beef supply chain to help advance sustainability in the U.S. beef supply chain.

USRSB has defined water resources as one of six high-priority indicators that represent the most significant impact to beef sustainability. USRSB has declared that, by 2050, the U.S. beef supply chain will improve water management strategies and improve water quality. That will be achieved by the following:

• Benchmarking water use and quality by 2025;

• Improving retention and capture of nutrients for beneficial use; and

• Supporting feedstuffs growers to achieve their water sustainability goals.

More specifically, every U.S. sector in the beef chain—from cow-calf to retail and food-service—has its own specific targets and metrics to achieve.

Managing water sustainably is key to the future of food and agriculture. Beef producers are taking big steps to improve water efficiency, care for the land and protect the environment – all while helping feed a growing population. If you’re taking those steps, I applaud you. If you’re not where you think you should be, reach out to experts. They can help you implement water-smart strategies while improving beef operations for long-term success.

Editor’s note: Maxson Irsik, a certified public accountant, advises owners of professionally managed agribusinesses and family-owned ranches on ways to achieve their goals. Whether an owner’s goal is to expand and grow the business, discover and leverage core competencies, or protect the current owners’ legacy through careful structuring and estate planning, Max applies his experience working on and running his own family’s farm to find innovative ways to make it a reality. Contact him at [email protected].