Anyone have information about cow's impact on soil?
Hi, I was wondering if there was any information / books / websites / etc that you knew about the topic of cattle ranching. In particular, I would like to see information that discusses the impact that cows have on the soil and the local environment.
I live in a rural area, and there are more cows than people. The town has 350, but there are several ranches with hundreds of cows. These are also sometimes over twenty acres, of cows / rangeland. There is a lot of talk in my area, of citizens who actually appreciate 'free range beef,' and 'local milk products.'
I am not of their consensus. What I see are several cow farms, that destroy the environment, and create a dependence on the animals. I have seen this brought up here before, but I was wondering if there were any threads that were started on this issue?
I spoke with my coworker, and she told me that after cows are on the soil (even for only a year), it can never be used to grow fruit / vegetables again. Because the soil has become so toxic. How can cattle ranchers want to keep up such maintenance on their cows and their land?
I am concerned, because I see these cows all of the time, and they are very endearing to me. I like to see the cute young cows drinking milk from their mothers, and the cows scratching their heads against posts. Where is the balance here?
I would like to inform myself, so that I could understand more about the topic at large. I've read a lot about the unhealthy aspects of dairy products and their effects on humans, but I have not read about their (cow's) effect on the earth. I had considered it, though not as much as now, that I see it for my own eyes.
Any books / threads / websites / thoughts would be greatly appreciated. I would like to eventually see myself establish a total veganic farm, and I think learning about (the mistakes that) dairy farmers made would be beneficial. I want to learn about the opposition, so that I can be the greatest veganic farmer around! But is it possible if cows are within 20 miles? Or if they ever roamed on the soil at all? Is the soil damaged, is there no way to revitalize it?
It is too bad, because there are lots of cheap land for sale, but I think most of them are likely to have been rangeland less than 50 years prior (if not for a hundred years consistently). Ech!
Thanks for your help! PEACE - Tracy
I live in a rural area, and there are more cows than people. The town has 350, but there are several ranches with hundreds of cows. These are also sometimes over twenty acres, of cows / rangeland. There is a lot of talk in my area, of citizens who actually appreciate 'free range beef,' and 'local milk products.'
I am not of their consensus. What I see are several cow farms, that destroy the environment, and create a dependence on the animals. I have seen this brought up here before, but I was wondering if there were any threads that were started on this issue?
I spoke with my coworker, and she told me that after cows are on the soil (even for only a year), it can never be used to grow fruit / vegetables again. Because the soil has become so toxic. How can cattle ranchers want to keep up such maintenance on their cows and their land?
I am concerned, because I see these cows all of the time, and they are very endearing to me. I like to see the cute young cows drinking milk from their mothers, and the cows scratching their heads against posts. Where is the balance here?
I would like to inform myself, so that I could understand more about the topic at large. I've read a lot about the unhealthy aspects of dairy products and their effects on humans, but I have not read about their (cow's) effect on the earth. I had considered it, though not as much as now, that I see it for my own eyes.
Any books / threads / websites / thoughts would be greatly appreciated. I would like to eventually see myself establish a total veganic farm, and I think learning about (the mistakes that) dairy farmers made would be beneficial. I want to learn about the opposition, so that I can be the greatest veganic farmer around! But is it possible if cows are within 20 miles? Or if they ever roamed on the soil at all? Is the soil damaged, is there no way to revitalize it?
It is too bad, because there are lots of cheap land for sale, but I think most of them are likely to have been rangeland less than 50 years prior (if not for a hundred years consistently). Ech!
Thanks for your help! PEACE - Tracy