How These Farmers Are Giving Red Meat A Green Twist

Aussie red meat farmers have been taking care of their land for generations. Still, it’s no secret that going green is more critical than ever. Thankfully, farmers young and old, are stepping up to the plate - literally - to give us more environmentally friendly red meat to enjoy. And the way they’re doing it is super interesting! Take a look at how some farmers are changing the game RN:
 

Bec and Ali Hart at Stockyard Beef

Bec and Ali Hart work at their farm in Jondaryan, Queensland, where their family have been working on the land for three generations. For them, leaving a lighter environmental footprint for future generations to enjoy is super important. They’re doing just that through a few really innovative ways.

First, they’re big on cutting down on waste. They’ve set up their farm so that all their by-products, such as manure and effluent, are dealt with on-site. One big benefit is that they can then use all that nutrient-rich manure to increase the soil health of their land - cutting down on fertiliser use and helping regenerate carbon-storing plants at the same time! Another bonus is that managing the manure on-site keeps their waterways clear, and they’re working with local groups to help the native fish population grow. Check out more here.

They’re also involved in an exciting trial to reduce the methane emissions of their cattle. Some studies have shown that adding a small amount of red seaweed into the feed of grain-fed cattle can reduce methane emissions by 98%, so Meat and Livestock Australia have teamed up with the CSIRO to investigate this further. Methane is actually around 25 times as potent as carbon dioxide - so reducing cattle methane production is a great step towards carbon neutrality.

Plus, Stockyard Beef are interested in technologies to help make their farm run on 100% renewable energy and see how cattle manure could be used as an alternative fuel source.

Maggie Halliday at Ben Nevis Angus

Maggie is part of a Walcha NSW farming family spanning six generations who are going beyond carbon neutral by storing more carbon than they release. That means that their farm could be what’s called a carbon sink - and no, that doesn’t mean they’re washing all the carbon dioxide down the drain! The critical thing about carbon sinks is that they’re capable of storing carbon dioxide for a really long time, keeping it out of the atmosphere so it doesn’t contribute to global warming.

They reckon the trick is to focus on the soil, where all farming starts. When you have healthy soil, you produce healthy plants that grow more - and the more they grow, the more they can photosynthesise and use all that carbon dioxide in the atmosphere to grow even more! This creates a positive feedback loop.

NAPCo

When talking about farms, it’s easy to focus entirely on what’s happening with the livestock - but every property is teeming with all sorts of native plants and animals that have a big part to play in keeping the local ecosystem happy and healthy.

That’s why NAPCo has started working with The Australian Wildlife Conservancy, one of the world’s largest conservation organisations. They’ve already dedicated around 6 million hectares (imagine 6 million football fields) of their land for environmental conservation, helping threatened species like the Greater Bilby and the Kowary. This is a huge step in helping some of those species recover, which is pretty awesome in our books.
 

If you wanna find out more about what meat and livestock farmers are doing to combat climate change and help the environment, check out Australian Good Meat’s ‘Red meat and the environment’ page for more info!