Land management

FACT

Cattle production occurs primarily on land unsuitable for cultivation.


Worldwide, grazing more than doubles the land area that can be used to produce food for people. In Canada, about 68 million hectares of land is classified as "agricultural land". Approximately 30% of Canada's farmland is NOT considered to be economically or environmentally suitable for cultivation, but does support sustained ruminant livestock grazing. Because of climate, topography, access, or land owner choice, almost 24% of Canada's agricultural land is uncultivated native grasslands. Another 6% is maintained as tame grass pasture land.

Cattle are an important element in a balanced and sustainable agriculture system. They utilize the forages and legumes which are part of a crop rotation system to improve soil fertility and decrease soil erosion. Forage crops used for cattle feed are an important part of most sustainable cropping systems. They help to decrease soil erosion, improve soil fertility, and assist in pest management.

80% to 85% of the feed consumed by cattle is made up of grasses and forages that are inedible by people. The type of grain fed to cattle (normally barley or corn) is generally not the same quality as that used for human consumption. Cattle often provide a market for weather damaged cereal grains originally grown for human consumption. There is no shortage of grain in the world, only an inability to distribute it to those in need.

It takes approximately 2.2 kilograms (5 pounds) of feed grain to produce 0.5 kilograms (1 pound) of edible beef. This is comparable to the feed grain conversion efficiency of other major meat animals.

Livestock industries in developed countries also have an important buffering effect on cereal grain prices and food supplies. As grain prices rise, the amount of grain used in cattle feedlots decreases. The cattle industry can utilize surplus grains in times of over-production, or reduce that use in times of scarcity through shorter finishing periods and an increased use of by-products.

In certain regions of Canada, climatic conditions restrict the production of food grains suitable for human consumption and favour the production of feed grains for livestock. In fact, food grains on average yield less per hectare than feed grains.